Belarus Red Cross

The Belarusian Red Cross Society (Belarusian: Беларускае Таварыства Чырвонага Крыжа, romanized: Byelaruskaye Tavarystva Chyrvonaha Kryzha; Russian: Белорусское Общество Красного Креста, romanized: Belorusskoye Obshchestvo Krasnogo Kresta) is a Belarusian humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its purpose is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever and whenever it occurs, voluntarily and without discrimination.

Belarus Red Cross
Белорусский Красный Крест
Formation1967
PurposeHumanitarian aid
HeadquartersMinsk, Belarus
Region
Belarus
Secretary General
Dmitry Shevtsov
Chairman
Dmitry Cherednichenko
Parent organization
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Staff
366 (2016)[1]
Volunteers
22,459 (2016) [1]
Websiteredcross.by

Though first operating in the territory of what is now Belarus in 1872 as the Minsk local branch of the Russian Red Cross, the organization was officially founded in 1967. Within Belarus, it currently operates 166 regional and local branches.[2][3]

Involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War

In an interview in Russian-occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine that was aired on state TV channel Belarus-1 on 19 July 2023, the head of the organization, Dzmitry Shautsou, wearing military clothes with the Z symbol, openly admitted to the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas to Belarus for “health improvement” reasons during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that it would continue to do so.[4][5]

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies dissociated itself from his statements, while expressing "grave concern" and demanding a halt to the practice. It also triggered an investigation by the body's investigative committee.[4][5]

References
  1. "Belarus Red Cross FDRS Indicators". Data.ifrc.org. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  2. "History of the Belarusian Red Cross Society". Белорусский Красный Крест | Просто Помогаем! (in Russian). 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  3. "Belarus: ICRC brings together 14 countries to discuss international humanitarian law". International Committee of the Red Cross. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  4. "Belarus Red Cross says it helped deport Ukrainian children to Belarus". CNN. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. "Belarus Red Cross says it is involved in transfer of children out of Ukraine". The Guardian. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-21.


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