"Russia uses the Red Cross as part of its propaganda machine" — journalists' investigation

Moscow, Russia (Svidomi) — Russia exploits the Red Cross to spread the narratives it wants, a joint journalists' investigation reveals. 

The Estonian company Delfi has obtained some documents from the Kremlin administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These documents were handed over to VSquare and Frontstory.pl (Poland), Expressen (Sweden), Meduza and iStories ( non-governmental Russian media), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF (Germany), Der Standard (Austria) and Tamedia (Switzerland) for a joint investigation.

The team of journalists received confidential budget documents from the Putin administration. They refer to the financing of the Russian branch of the Red Cross.

"According to the decision of Sergey Kiriyenko, to include [funding] in the outline of guidelines for new territories," the document says.

The Kremlin plans to establish four regional and 62 local branches in Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which Putin calls the allegedly "liberated territories." Funding will be allocated, among other things, for the training of coordinators and volunteers to "replace the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Donbas".

In August 2023, Russia registered the Donetsk branch of the Red Cross. It was headed by a Russian citizen who had been presented as a Red Cross employee in Russian state media a month earlier.

In 2024, the Russian state budget allocated EUR 6.7 million to the Red Cross.

Such actions violate the basic principles of the International Red Cross Movement. A national Red Cross branch can operate in another country only with the permission of that country.

The Red Cross of Ukraine confirmed to journalists that it had not granted such permission. And only the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is allowed to work in the "conflict zones".

The Kremlin and the Russian Red Cross (RRC) are linked by Pavel Savchuk. The man has headed the Russian Red Cross since 2021.

He is involved in the Obshcherossiyskiy narodnyy front (All-Russia People's Front), which owns the registered trademark of the letter 'Z', a symbol of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The All-Russia People's Front also organised a signature collection to register Putin as a candidate for the presidential election. Savchuk was also a lecturer at the Russian Society Znaniye (Knowledge), which, among other things, aims to foster patriotism among Russian youth. In one of the videos of the society's discussions, Savchuk speaks into a microphone decorated with a 'Z' symbol.

Savchuk and the Russian Red Cross refused to comment on the appropriateness of the simultaneous participation of the head of the Russian branch of the Red Cross in the All-Russia People's Front and the Knowledge Society.

On the website of the Russian initiative My Vmeste (We are together), which, among other things, raises funds for equipment for the Russian military at the front, the Russian Red Cross is listed as a "supporter of the movement". Documents obtained by journalists show that the Red Cross works as part of the We are together headquarters, providing humanitarian aid in the occupied territories.

Ariane Bauer, a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, believes that the Red Cross's participation in the We Are There movement does not comply with the principles of the Red Cross movement.

In 2022, Savchuk was elected to the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Red Movement acknowledged that it was aware of Savchuk's role in the All-Russia People's Front General Staff. According to the IFRC, Savchuk "confirmed his affiliation with the organisation from 2019 to March 2022".

However, as the journalists found out, Savchuk's public CV still lists him as a member of the All-Russia People's Front General Staff.

The obtained documents state that the Kremlin sees Savchuk's international role as "a means to expand Russia's influence and enhance the role of the Russian language". Among the goals set is the recognition of Russian as the official working language of the IFRC.

Savchuk is also a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, created by Putin's order to promote the so-called 'special military operation', which Russia calls a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the Russian Red Cross and Pavel Savchuk, claiming that both organisations were spreading Kremlin propaganda narratives to justify Russia's actions.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross refused to comment on the links between the Red Cross and the Putin regime.

"The Russian Red Cross has demonstrated its commitment to supporting people who need it most and to our Fundamental Principles, which guide our work. If we detect signs of a breach of integrity, [we] have our own compliance and investigation mechanisms in place," the IFRC said in a statement.