Ukraine revokes phone call privileges for Russian POWs, allows only written communication
Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine are no longer allowed to make phone calls home, though they can still write letters, said Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets during a national news broadcast.
Lubinets pointed out that Ukraine currently hosts four special camps for captured Russian soldiers, ensuring conditions compliant with the Geneva Conventions.
Lubinets stated, “We understand that, fortunately or unfortunately, we cannot behave like the Russians. To be frank, we have made some changes. For example, there have been many discussions about whether Russian POWs should be able to call their relatives in Russia,” he said. Lubinets emphasized that the Ombudsman’s Office has maintained a straightforward stance: the Geneva Conventions grant the right to correspondence, not telephone calls.
“As of now, we have been informed that while Russians retain the ability to write letters, their right to make phone calls no longer exists,” said the ombudsman.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine recently reported an investigation into the alleged execution of three Ukrainian POWs by Russian military.