Evacuees from Kherson were stranded in a field for four hours: The Red Cross released photos

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society released photos of people evacuated from Kherson who, on August 14, were forced to be transferred to another rapid response unit after the driver of their evacuation vehicle was stopped by police in the Mykolaiv region.

Photos of the moment the people were handed over to volunteers from the Kyiv Regional Rapid Response Unit of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society in Uman were published by the media outlet “Vgoru.”

Recently, the Ukrainian Red Cross stated that the incident involving the detention of one of its volunteers during the evacuation of civilians posed additional risks to the continuity of its humanitarian operations.

The Red Cross noted that at the time the vehicle was stopped,the rapid response unit volunteer was notwanted by the authorities. Furthermore, according to the organization, he was not informed at the time of the stop that he was to be taken to the Territorial Recruitment Center and the Military Medical Commission for a medical examination, with possible subsequent mobilization.

At that time, the vehiclewas transporting people who had been evacuated from a dangerous area. After the volunteer was detained, other representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross continued to transport them. Due to the incident, the evacuation was delayed, but it was eventually completed.

The organization emphasized that it understands the legal requirements regarding mobilization and military registration. At the same time, the Red Cross notes that some of its volunteers have already been mobilized, and the issue of exempting volunteers from mobilization currently lacks proper legislative regulation.

According to the organization, what makes this situation unique is that, at the time of the stop, the volunteer was directly carrying out a humanitarian mission—evacuating civilians from a dangerous area.

The Red Cross stated that it currently lacks a clear understanding of the conditions under which its volunteers can freely carry out evacuation, rescue, and emergency relief missions while also complying with military registration requirements.

The organization warns that such uncertainty could affect its ability to recruitvolunteers for population evacuations, emergency response, and assistance to victims.

The Ukrainian Red Cross has expressed its readiness to engage in dialogue with government agencies to develop a clear mechanism that will allow it to comply with the law while ensuring the continuity of humanitarian aid.

Андрій Колісніченко