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Section
The ICRC in Russia
Regional delegation in Moscow
©ICRC/M.S. Desjonquères
Chechnya, 2008. An ICRC delegate talks to the mother of a missing person.
Opened in 1992, the regional delegation in Moscow combines operational work in the Russian Federation with regional functions for Belarus, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The delegation keeps the authorities and other international, regional and national actors abreast of humanitarian concerns in the region and worldwide.

Working in cooperation with the Russian Red Cross, the ICRC carries out neutral, independent and impartial humanitarian action to assist vulnerable populations affected by conflicts and other situations of violence in the republics of the Northern Caucasus. As an organization that plays a major role in resolving the serious humanitarian issue of missing persons, the ICRC shares the experience it has acquired elsewhere, focusing on the needs of the families of missing people and their 'right to know' the fate of their relatives. It also helps vulnerable people develop income-generating projects.

In all the countries covered, the ICRC runs long-term programmes to promote: international humanitarian law (IHL) among the authorities, armed forces and civil society; and the integration of IHL into national legislation, the armed forces and university and secondary school curricula. Amongst the authorities and security forces the ICRC promotes respect for international norms applicable to situations of violence. It also fosters the understanding of its mandate and work. The delegation supports the region’s Red Cross Societies and helps them develop their capacity, among other things, to restore family links, prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote humanitarian values and basic principles of IHL.

Presence (2009):
274 staff, including 19 expatriates

Key document
    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: life on both sides of the administrative boundary line
    On both sides of the boundary, in South Ossetia as in Georgia, the battles that took place in the summer of 2008 left indelible scars. The enduring aftermath of the conflict is revealed by an elderly couple, cut off from their children and grandchildren, who now live 'on the other side' and a young widow determined to secure the future of her son.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Feature Includes Photo

    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: the long road to normalization
    One year after hostilities broke out between Georgia and Russia, the ICRC is focusing its humanitarian efforts on helping people regain secure and stable income and bringing aid to those who need it most.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Operational update

Feature
    4-4-2008
    Ingushetia: popcorn a winner in Nazran
    The ICRC recently stopped its direct food aid to displaced persons from Chechnya in this north Caucasian republic. Instead, the organization is supporting economic micro-projects. Luba Rosdoieva was given a popcorn machine; she sells her wares at the market in Nazran, the former capital of the Ingushetian Republic.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia)
    Feature Includes Photo

    4-4-2008
    Chechnya: just a photo after six years in custody
    In the Russian Federation, the ICRC continues to work on restoring family links between prisoners and their relatives. The ICRC team in Grozny, Chechnya, went to take Sharipat news of her son Ahmed, who has been in prison for six years.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia)
    Feature Includes Photo

ICRC film
    15-5-2008
    Chechnya: rising from its ashes
    In Grozny, the streets of the market are full. But despite the rebuilding, it’s hard to find a decent flat or a proper job. Some people have started their own businesses thanks to the ICRC, such as Taiza who is making mattresses. But as Grozny rises from its ashes, other families still struggle to come to terms with the past, desperate to know what has happened to their missing relatives.
    (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field)
    ICRC film Includes Video

International Review of the Red Cross
    30-9-2005
    The meaning of Moscow: "Non-lethal" weapons and international law in the early 21st century
    This article analyses the relationship between "non-lethal" weapons and international law in the early 21st century by focusing on the most seminal incident to date in the short history of the "non-lethal" weapons debate, the use of an incapacitating chemical to end a terrorist attack on a Moscow theatre in October 2002.
    (Info resources\International Review\2005 - No. 859)
    International Review of the Red CrossDavid P. Fidler Includes PDF

Interview
    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: people forced to cope with lasting upheaval
    A year after Georgian and Russian forces clashed in Southern Caucasus, most of the tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes have returned. Pascale Meige Wagner is ICRC's head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As she explains, the fighting of summer 2008 continues to have a major impact on the people of the region.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Interview Includes Photo

    9-7-2008
    Russia: training in humanitarian law, and applying it
    William Bowie learnt about the ICRC growing up in South Africa and seeing his mother send his father – a prisoner-of-war in Germany during World War II – parcels, through the ICRC. He heads an ICRC department for cooperation with the armed and security forces.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Armed forces and police)
    Interview Includes Photo

Official Statement
    28-11-2008
    140th Anniversary of the 1868 St. Petersburg Declaration
    Speech by Jakob Kellenberger, president of the ICRC, International Conference on IHL dedicated to the 140th Anniversary of the 1868 St. Petersburg Declaration, St. Petersburg, 24 November 2008
    (Humanitarian law\Weapons)
    Official Statement

Operational update
Photo Collection
    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: the long road to recovery
    Nearly a year after the hostilities broke out, most internally displaced people have returned home. However, they remain vulnerable, in need of food and other essentials. A selection of photos taken as part of the Our world. Your move campaign by well-known VII photographer Antonin Kratochvil.
    (Info resources\Photos\Eastern Europe and Central Asia)
    Photo Collection Includes Photo

    26-8-2008
    Georgia/Russian Federation conflict: a selection of photos - 2
    The following selection of photographs can be downloaded at high resolution.
    (Info resources\Photos\Eastern Europe and Central Asia)
    Photo Collection Includes Photo

    19-8-2008
    Georgia/Russian Federation conflict: a selection of photos - 1
    The following selection of photographs can be downloaded at high resolution.
    (Info resources\Photos\Eastern Europe and Central Asia)
    Photo Collection Includes Photo

    15-6-2005
    Northern Caucasus: Preserving a measure of humanity in the midst of conflict
    In this region, and particularly in Chechnya, the ICRC is doing its utmost to provide vitally needed assistance and protection for a population hard hit by over 10 years of conflict.
    (Info resources\Photos\Eastern Europe and Central Asia)
    Photo Collection Includes Photo

Press article
    2-1-2008
    Return to Vedeno
    While the situation is gradually returning to normal in Chechnya, an ICRC worker gives an account of his return to the Vedeno area, a place he enjoyed in his youth. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2007
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia)
    Press article Includes Photo

Video Collection
    21-8-2008
    Georgia: ICRC gets help to people caught up in conflict
    In the first days of the emergency, hundreds of tonnes of food, blankets and sanitary supplies were flown into the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. During his 3 day visit to Georgia and the Russian Federation, ICRC President Jacob Kellenberger saw the difficult conditions for himself, and met some of the thousands of people displaced by fighting and in urgent need of assistance.
    (Info resources\Video)
    Video Collection Includes Video

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20-03-2010