Based on the archival sources from the holdings of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the article examines the activities of the Russian Red Cross Society during the transitional period of 1918–1920, which was difficult for the Russian state. It studies the situation of Russian prisoners of war abroad, as well as the work on their repatriation to their homeland. The issues concerning the revision of the Geneva Convention of 1906 on improving the fate of wounded and sick soldiers of the active army are analyzed. The article was prepared on the basis of generally recognized scientific methods: analysis and synthesis of historiographical facts and historical sources, induction, which allows to proceed from consideration of particular factors to making general conclusions.