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The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, has urged for increased Catholic aid to support prisoners of war and civilians freed from Russian captivity, following reports of “horror stories” from those released.
The archbishop wants more international support in areas where the Ukrainian government struggles to provide adequate resources.
Archbishop Kulbokas highlighted three critical areas of concern during a video conference organised by Caritas Lithuania on 20 August.
Two involve aiding prisoners of war, including children and civilians deported to Russia, and providing support to those returning to Ukraine, many of whom have suffered severe abuse including sexual violence.
“This area is in the most acute need of the Catholic humanitarian efforts, like Caritas and their volunteers, because the Ukrainian government simply lacks adequate resources to tackle this problem” said Kulbokas, addressing the conference from Kyiv.
The third involves the importance of “monitoring the field of information”.
“The Ukrainian people, traumatised by war and unceasing stress, can sometimes respond inadequately to the providers of humanitarian aid” he said. The archbishop added “Our priority should be not to judge them but prevent the attempts to frame such incidents as the reasons to cut the aid to Ukraine”.
Harrowing accounts
Archbishop Kulbokas revealed that around 3,000 prisoners of war have been released through exchanges mediated by countries such as Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates at the request of Russian negotiators. The Holy See’s efforts also facilitated the release of ten civilians including two priests on 28 June.
The Archbishop shared harrowing accounts from some of the released prisoners who described brutal conditions including forced standing for hours, inadequate food and severe beatings.
“All the ex-prisoners whom I have talked to said they’d rather be dead [than be in prison]” Kulbokas reported.
None of the released prisoners had been allowed visits by the representatives of the Red Cross, so Russian claims to the contrary are lies Kulbokas stated.
The nuncio earned respect among the diplomatic corps by remaining in Kyiv when the invasion began in February 2022. He said this decision depended on courage and prayer.
“If we take our potential seriously, the impossible becomes possible” he said.
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