The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is providing full assistance to the recovery operation following the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, a spokesperson for the organization has told the Global Times.

André Arthur Loersch, spokesperson for the ICRC's delegation to Ukraine, said that the humanitarian organization has provided body bags to recovery workers at the crash site.

Relying on its expertise and knowledge of the context, the ICRC has also offered its services to both the government of Ukraine and that of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in addressing the issue of handling the corpses of crash victims.

The ICRC itself does not directly participate in the collection and identification of human remains, nor does it take part in criminal investigations. The ICRC’s role is to facilitate the work of a variety of specialist teams, ensuring they have full access to all relevant sites and assisting those teams until they have completed their mission of recovering and identifying the remains of all victims.

Loersch also gave assurances that the ICRC would continue to deliver medical assistance to people displaced by the ongoing violence in Ukraine. The organization is presently conducting a detailed assessment of the present living conditions and needs of displaced persons, he said.

However, given the constantly changing situation, the ICRC cannot yet provide definitive figures, Loersch added.