Lubinets: Ukrainian prisoner Ishchenko died 9 days ago, Russia did not inform about it

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has commented on the reported death of Ukrainian prisoner of war Oleksandr Ishchenko, stating that Russia failed to notify Ukraine about the incident officially.

Russian media reported on 31 July about the death of 55-year-old Oleksandr Ishchenko, a defender of Mariupol, whom the Russians tried on a fabricated charge and held in a pre-trial detention center in Russia.

Lubinets said in his Telegram channel that according to Ishchenko’s daughter, he died nine days ago.

“However, no one officially informed the Ukrainian side about this. There was also no official report on the cause of death of the citizen of Ukraine,” Lubinets wrote.

The ombudsman reported that he had sent an urgent letter to his Russian counterpart, Tatiana Moskalkova, asking her to “investigate the tragic death of the prisoner of war” and provide information about the circumstances and cause of Ishchenko’s death. As of 31 July, Moskalkova’s press service had not commented on the situation.

Lubinets also said that he had appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN to record the fact of the prisoner’s death and to pay attention to the conditions of detention of Ukrainian captured defenders.

“Ukraine demands that the Russian Federation strictly adhere to the Geneva Conventions – provide necessary medical assistance, create a mixed medical commission to enable the repatriation of all seriously ill and seriously wounded,” Lubinets said.

The ombudsman emphasized that the state holding prisoners is responsible for their treatment.

According to Russian media reports, Ishchenko’s death was announced by a lawyer during a session of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. The case reportedly involves 23 Ukrainian prisoners, including nine women, most of whom were cooks preparing food for Azov servicemembers.

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