Red Cross: mobilized driver was not wanted and did not know he was being taken to a recruitment center

The Ukrainian Red Cross reported that its driver was detained and mobilized while evacuating civilians from frontline areas of Kherson region.

The organization published an official comment on its Facebook page.

According to the Red Cross, at the time the ambulance was stopped, the driver was not on a wanted list. Furthermore, during the detention, the man was not informed that he would be taken to a territorial recruitment center to undergo a military medical commission followed by mobilization.

The evacuation of the people in the vehicle was able to continue — other volunteers from the organization were brought in to carry out the mission, though with a delay.

The Red Cross emphasized that it respects Ukrainian law but does not understand how to ensure the safety of future evacuation missions from such incidents.

The case of the Red Cross driver in Kherson region is not the only such incident. Previously, recruitment center staff detained a volunteer who was transporting civilians from the area near Kupyansk. There were also reports of a volunteer being mobilized in Kharkiv — he was delivering aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.