Opposition activist Latushka, who used to be a top official in Lukashenko’s government, insists that taking Ukrainian children to Belarus is illegal and violates international norms. It stressed that the Belarus Red Cross chief doesn’t speak on behalf of the federation “and his statements do not represent our views.” “These actions risk damaging the trust of our work in supporting communities in need, whoever they are, and whichever side of the frontlines they are on,” the federation said in a statement sent to the Associated Press. It said it referred the issue to its compliance committee, which investigates any “alleged breaches of integrity.” The Geneva-based umbrella organization – the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – said it had learned about Shautsou’s visit to Donbas through the media. The Belarus Red Cross is the biggest humanitarian organization in Belarus and is part of the international Red Cross movement. Shautsou from the Belarus Red Cross said he was working with a state-backed charity foundation to make “the children forget the horrors of the war and just rest, feel that there’s an island of happiness.” The first group of 350 children arrived in April, officials said, without providing further details. In May, the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office announced an investigation into the forced transfers.īelarusian authorities have confirmed hosting more than 1,000 children, aged 6-15, from Russian-held parts of Ukraine for health reasons. Minsk has angrily rejected the allegations. Last month, Belarusian opposition activist Pavel Latushka said he has provided the ICC with material allegedly detailing the forced transfer of 2,100 Ukrainian children from at least 15 Russia-occupied Ukrainian cities to Belarus with Lukashenko’s approval. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which brings together 191 national organizations, said it contacted the Belarus Red Cross to express its “grave concern” and to advise it to “stop any similar activity in the future.” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the international criminal court “to issue an arrest warrant” for Shautsou, saying that he “has publicly confessed to the crime of unlawful deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine.” “The Belarus Red Cross has taken – and is taking, and will be taking – an active part in it,” Shautsou said. In the footage, he says the organisation was actively involved in bringing Ukrainian children to Belarus for “health improvement” purposes. Lukashenko has also welcomed a Russian military presence in Belarus and the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons there.Ī report that aired Wednesday on Belarus state TV showed Dzmitry Shautsou, the head of the Belarus Red Cross, visiting the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region. Belarus has been Moscow’s closest ally since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, with its leader Alexander Lukashenko allowing the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine.
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