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The Russian Red Cross Serves Putin—with Western Humanitarian Money
The Russian Red Cross is deep in the business of war—not aid. A new investigation by European media reveals that the organization is advancing Kremlin propaganda, partnering with militarized youth groups, and operating in occupied Ukrainian territories where it has no official mandate.
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![Photo of Illia Kabachynskyi]( "Photo of Illia Kabachynskyi")
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Who does the Russian Red Cross answer to?
The Red Cross is the world’s most recognizable and influential humanitarian organization, authorized to operate in times of war. But its internal structure is among the most complex. Here’s how it works:
The international movement consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which operates in war zones and visits prisoners of war, and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which coordinates the efforts of 191 national societies.
The Russian Red Cross falls under the IFRC and receives funding from both the ICRC and IFRC, as well as directly from some national Red Cross societies.
What is the Russian Red Cross doing?
The investigation conducted by Follow the Money, Trail Media, DER STANDARD, Delfi, Expressen, and Meduza highlights several Russian Red Cross initiatives that have little to do with humanitarian missions. The organization is suspected of partnering with paramilitary and propaganda entities and of operating in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories without the necessary mandate.
Several examples stand out:
Movement of the First
All regional Red Cross chapters are required to maintain neutrality. The RRC does not. Its strategy document through 2028 outlines cooperation with Movement of the First, a Kremlin-backed youth organization aimed at instilling loyalty to the Russian government. The group is led by Artur Orlov, who was awarded by the Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his role in storming Luhansk in June 2022.
The RRC has an agreement with the Movement of the First to run a joint educational initiative called First Aid, which accounted for 8% of the RRC’s total expenditures in 2024. Training sessions were conducted in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The presence of the SOBR “Vostok-Donetsk” special police unit at these trainings further underscores the RRC’s lack of neutrality.
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Operations in the occupied territories of Ukraine
Under international norms, only the ICRC or the Ukrainian Red Cross should be operating in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Despite this, the Russian Red Cross has launched “Donetsk Red Cross” and “Luhansk Red Cross” branches under its branding. Journalists have documented ICRC staff working alongside these newly created entities, which openly claim to be subordinate to the RRC—despite having no legal basis for their existence.
The European Commission has stated that the ICRC operates in Ukraine solely through the Ukrainian Red Cross. Yet the so-called “Donetsk” and “Luhansk” Red Cross branches publicly claim cooperation with the ICRC. The same situation has been observed in Zaporizhzhia. None of the parties involved has offered public explanations.
These activities suggest that the Russian Red Cross is serving the interests of the Kremlin, which is also a significant funder of the organization.
The money behind the RRC
The Russian Red Cross has multiple sources of funding. In 2024, it received €6.5 million ($7.5 million) from the ICRC and €7 million ($8.1 million) from the IFRC—roughly a quarter of its annual budget. The Moscow city government also contributed around €6.7 million ($7.7 million). Additional funds are raised through voluntary donations.
Despite its involvement in propaganda initiatives and activities in occupied territories, the RRC’s funding from the IFRC and ICRC doubled between 2022 and 2024, reaching €13.5 million ($15.6million). During that time, the IFRC praised the RRC’s “life-saving efforts”—though it remains unclear what efforts those were.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian prisoners of war report receiving no assistance from the Red Cross. “We saw them only when we were surrendering,” Serhii Rotchuk, a combat medic and Azov fighter since 2015, told UNITED24 Media. Illia Samoilenko, an Azov staff officer, stated that he never saw any Red Cross personnel.
What has been clearly visible is the Russian Red Cross’s participation in pro-Kremlin propaganda. In November 2025, the “First Aid” competition was held again. According to organizers, participants came from 89 Russian regions—despite the country having only 85 official regions. The additional four are Ukrainian territories annexed during the war. The RRC was listed among the competition’s organizers, effectively aligning itself with the Kremlin’s messaging.
Despite all of this, neither the IFRC nor the European Commission has taken any action against the Russian Red Cross. On the contrary, they continue to fund an organization that openly supports Putin’s propaganda.\
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