ICRC not to release list of POWs from Azovstal steel plant

Mirella Hodeib, spokeswoman for the organization, told this to Ukrinform when asked how many Ukrainian defenders from Azovstal, including those wounded, have so far been registered with the ICRC and whether their lists will be published.

"This information is confidential. Our priority is to verify the conditions under which the prisoners of war are held and their treatment, to prevent disappearance and to maintain their family contact. But we will not share publicly the lists or names of people we visited, or those who we visit in the future," she said.

She added that the registration of prisoners of war by the ICRC allows them to feel protected at least from the risk of disappearing without trace.

Asked if the loved ones of Ukrainian defenders who were withdrawn from Azovstal could find out whether they had been registered with the ICRC, Hodeib said: "Families seeking information about missing relatives can contact the ICRC's Central Tracing Agency Bureau at ctabureau@icrc.org or +41 22 730 3600 | +380 800 300 155."

She said that in March, the ICRC scaled up its operational capacity to support family members of those who are separated, alive, dead or deprived of liberty by establishing a separate CTA Bureau focusing only on the "international armed conflict in Ukraine."

As reported, Ukrainian forces defended Mariupol for more than 80 days. Their evacuation from the Azovstal steel plant, blocked by Russian troops, began on May 16.

Photo: Dmytro "Orest" Kozatsky, Azovstal