Since at least 2023, the Russian Red Cross has been operating in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, relying on financial backing from the Russian authorities. This became public in February 2024, after Meduza and international partners published an investigation based on a leak of internal Kremlin documents. It revealed that individuals presenting themselves as representatives of the organization abused prisoners of war in a detention facility in the Donetsk region.
In recent years, the Russian Red Cross has become even more deeply embedded in Russia’s military and propaganda machinery. At the same time, the organization continues to receive multimillion-euro funding from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, supported among others by the European Commission and other international bodies that oppose Russia’s war against Ukraine.
International funding for the Russian Red Cross continues—despite its work in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories
In 2024, the Russian Red Cross received roughly $14.1 million from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Compared with 2022, this amount has doubled and now accounts for just over a quarter of the organization’s total income.
The precise share of European funding within this sum remains unknown. The European Commission, as well as the governments of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, state that their contributions to the International Committee and the International Federation were not directed to the Russian Red Cross. A spokesperson for the European Commission explained: “The Commission funds a clearly defined set of humanitarian programs in specific countries. Russia is not part of this program, and the Russian Red Cross is not a beneficiary. By allocating funds for targeted purposes, we effectively ensure that no European resources flow to the Russian Red Cross.”
Funding for the Russian organization continues even after the Governing Board of the International Federation established a special oversight body to examine allegations that the Russian Red Cross had violated the core principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Nonetheless, this “oversight group” concluded that there were no grounds for sanctions. Pavel Savchuk, the head of the Russian Red Cross, retained his seat on the Governing Board of the International Federation. Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, called the situation a “gross violation” of Red Cross principles.
The Russian Red Cross deepens its ties with the Kremlin—through participation in militarized organizations
The Russian Red Cross publicly professes its commitment to neutrality, yet is simultaneously deeply involved in the activities of militaristic “patriotic” structures. In particular, it cooperates with the Movement of the First—a group conceived as a modern analogue of the Soviet Pioneer organization and whose supervisory board is chaired by Vladimir Putin. Several regional branches of the Russian Red Cross served as co-organizers of “Zarnitsa 2.0,” a nationwide competition run by the Movement of the First and Yunarmiya, where children as young as eight were taught, among other things, to disassemble weapons and operate drones.
Another joint project between the Russian Red Cross and the Movement of the First—the “First Aid” program—accounted for nearly 8% of the organization’s total expenditures in 2024. These first-aid skill competitions were held across Russia and in occupied territories, from Luhansk to the Zaporizhzhia region. In Donetsk, participants were evaluated by individuals wearing jackets with Red Cross insignia and by members of the Vostok-Donetsk rapid response special unit, who, according to the organizers, “inspired the children with their example and professionalism.”
Responding to a question about the Russian Red Cross’s cooperation with the Movement of the First, a representative of the International Federation described the relationship as one of “practical neutrality.” In the Federation’s assessment, initiatives like First Aid help “prevent deaths and give communities the capacity to cope with any crises.” Training in basic first-aid skills is “intended for everyone—civilians, volunteers, families, teachers, students, military and political organizations,” the Federation emphasized.
Pro-Russian organizations operating under the Red Cross brand are emerging in occupied regions of Ukraine
In recent years, new entities using the Red Cross brand have appeared in occupied Ukrainian territories—the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia Red Cross organizations. Judging by their social media posts, staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross have interacted with these groups. The Donetsk Red Cross’s Telegram channel regularly publishes statements from the Russian Red Cross and Pavel Savchuk. In February, a representative of the Donetsk organization took part in a Russian Red Cross seminar in Moscow and received a certificate bearing Savchuk’s signature. In a confidential conversation conducted by Delfi journalists, an employee of the Donetsk Red Cross stated outright that their work is carried out “with the full support, involvement, and cooperation” of the Russian Red Cross.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, however, maintains that the Russian Red Cross is not present in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and that local structures operate independently, based on their own conditions. At the same time, at least the Zaporizhzhia organization has been officially registered in Russia since July 2024, its founders hold Russian citizenship, and local media refer to it as a “regional branch of the Russian Red Cross.”
A spokesperson for the European Commission stressed that the International Committee of the Red Cross has not worked with the Russian Red Cross in occupied territories: “In Ukraine, the ICRC works with the Ukrainian Red Cross, not with the Russian Red Cross.” Despite this, the Luhansk and Donetsk Red Cross organizations publicly report cooperating with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Experts say the Russian Red Cross could face expulsion from international Red Cross structures. In Ukraine, officials argue the organization “serves the whims of a dictatorial regime”
Ilya Shumanov, former executive director of the Russian branch of Transparency International, told the authors of the investigation that “given the scale and systemic nature of the violations committed by the Russian Red Cross, there are grounds for action by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.” Such measures, he said, could include suspending the organization’s membership or even expelling it if it does not return to adherence to Red Cross principles. As another option, Shumanov noted, the European Union could consider imposing sanctions on the Russian Red Cross.
The call for sanctions was supported by Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets. “Through its actions, the Russian Red Cross encourages children’s participation in future armed conflicts,” he stressed. Lubinets added that the Russian Red Cross is now “serving the whims of a dictatorial regime.”
Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies did not respond to the investigation’s questions about whether punitive measures could be applied to the Russian Red Cross for its activities in occupied territories and its involvement in Kremlin propaganda initiatives.
Meanwhile, the organization continues to work closely with the Russian authorities. On November 14, the final round of the nationwide “First Aid” competition took place in Saransk. The event, organized by the Movement of the First and the Russian Red Cross, brought together around one thousand students, teachers, and mentors from “89 regions of Russia,” according to Artur Orlov, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war who heads the Movement of the First. This means that children from the four annexed Ukrainian regions also took part.