The Russian Red Cross finances militaristic “patriotic” organizations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

The Russian Red Cross continues to work in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and organizes military schools among children there.

The Kremlin’s financing of the work of the Russian Red Cross in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine became known in February 2024. Now, investigators have found out that the Russian Red Cross continues to receive millions of euros from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which are financed, in particular, by the European Commission.

At the same time, a representative of the EU executive body denied that the funds that the European Commission provides to these two organizations go to Russia: “The Commission finances a clearly defined list of humanitarian programs in selected countries. Russia is not included, and the Russian Red Cross is not a beneficiary.”

Last year, journalists revealed that the administration of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had invested about 6.7 million euros in the Russian Red Cross, in particular to create new regional and local branches in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The Russian Red Cross formally declares neutrality, but at the same time actively participates in the work of militaristic “patriotic” organizations, such as the Movement of the First, the supervisory board of which is headed by Putin.

Several regional branches of the Russian Red Cross became co-organizers of the nationwide competitions “Zirnitsa 2.0”, held by the Movement of the First and Yunarmiya, during which children aged eight and older learned to assemble weapons and operate drones. Another joint project of the Movement of the First and the Russian Red Cross, “First Aid”, was allocated almost 8% of all expenses of the Russian Red Cross in 2024.

These children’s competitions were held throughout Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine, from Luhansk to Zaporizhzhia region. In Donetsk, participants in the competitions were judged by people wearing jackets with the Red Cross emblem and representatives of the Vostok-Donetsk special rapid response unit, which is part of the Rosgvardia.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies believes that the cooperation of the Russian Red Cross with the organization “Movement of the First” is “practical neutrality.” According to its representatives, projects like “First Aid” allow “to prevent deaths and help societies overcome any crises.”

Over the past few years, new organizations under the Red Cross brand have appeared in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, such as the Donetsk Red Cross, Luhansk Red Cross, and the Red Cross of Zaporizhzhia region. According to posts by these structures on social media, they are working with employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross. At the same time, a representative of the European Commission told the authors of the investigation that the International Committee of the Red Cross did not cooperate with the Russian Red Cross in the occupied territories.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, has repeatedly called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to exclude the Russian Red Cross from its membership. He also warned that by its actions, the Russian Red Cross encourages children to participate in future armed conflicts and “fulfills the whims of the dictatorial regime.”

Currently, the Russian Red Cross continues to actively cooperate with the Kremlin. On November 14, the final of the all-Russian competition “First Aid” took place in Saransk, Russia. The event, organized by the “Movement of the First” and the Russian Red Cross, brought together about a thousand students, including from the temporarily occupied territories.