The government believes that it is almost impossible to distinguish civilians from soldiers and refuses to treat everyone.

The Swiss federal government has rejected a NATO request for assistance to people wounded in Ukraine, citing its neutrality.

It is reported by Swiss Info.

Thus, the authorities refused to accept wounded Ukrainians for legal and practical reasons. 

In particular, based on the fact that this would violate the status of Switzerland as a neutral state in accordance with international law. For example, the Geneva Convention and the 1907 Hague Agreement require neutral states to ensure that rehabilitated soldiers can no longer take part in hostilities after their recovery.

As for the wounded civilians, the government believes it is almost impossible to tell civilians from soldiers, given that many civilians in Ukraine take up arms to defend their country. Instead, Swiss officials prefer to help the wounded by sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s civilian hospitals.

As Tages Anzeiger reported, in May some Swiss cantons expressed their willingness to help the wounded, but faced resistance from the government. 

The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, the NATO arm that coordinates international medical evacuations from Ukraine, has approached Switzerland with a request. 

This request triggered investigations by the Swiss Medical Coordination Service, the Federal Office of Public Health and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

(C)UNIAN 2022