According to AP journalists, the testimony of more than a dozen Ukrainian prisoners of war, the investigation materials and comments of the relatives of the victims and the internal analysis of the UN point to the organization of a terrorist attack by Russia in the colony for prisoners of war in Olenivka.
Points of attention
- Multiple sources, including Ukrainian prisoners of war, investigation materials, and UN analysis, suggest Russia's involvement in organizing the terrorist attack in Olenivka.
- The terrorist attack in Olenivka resulted in a significant number of victims and isolated surviving Ukrainian prisoners of war from the rest, exposing the brutality of Russian actions.
- Russia's attempt to shift blame onto Ukraine through false accusations was evident, with the international community expressing interest but the UN stopping short of publicly accusing Russia.
- The aftermath of the attack saw survivors isolated to prevent them from sharing the truth, with efforts made to cover up evidence and mislead investigations.
- The disbandment of the UN mission investigating the Olenivka attack raises questions about accountability and justice in the face of such heinous acts.
Which indicates that the terrorist attack in Olenivka was organized by Russia
As the journalists of the publication note, out of 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were in the colony, less than 20 people returned home.
On the morning of July 27, 2022, Russian guards rounded up a group of prisoners and took them to the industrial part of the colony, away from the remaining five POW barracks. They were taken to a cinder block building with a tin roof. There were 100 beds without mattresses and a hastily dug toilet, - the article says with reference to the testimonies of Ukrainian prisoners of war who managed to survive.
It is noted that the guards of the colony were engaged in digging trenches on the same day, after which the next day they changed the location of the guard post and put on body armor and helmets, which they had not done before.
During the explosion at night, the building caught fire.
According to one of the witnesses, the guards stood and laughed, throwing rags and flashlights at the panicking Ukrainians.
How Russia tried to imitate Ukraine's involvement in the terrorist attack in Olenivka
The next day, those who survived were isolated from the rest of the prisoners of war in the colony.
In the material of the publication with reference to the analysis of UN human rights defenders, those of the prisoners of war who survived were specially isolated so that they could not tell others what happened at night, since some prisoners had access to mobile phones and had direct contact with Ukraine.
The UN materials also emphasize that another part of the Ukrainian prisoners of war was sent to the bombed barracks and ordered to remove the debris and bodies.
Within two hours, this group was dispatched to the nearest hangar, and some saw men in camouflage carrying ammunition boxes to the blast site and placing HIMARS fragments on a blue bench nearby.
Russian officials soon arrived, accompanied by Russian journalists, whose photos of twisted, charred bunk beds, HIMARS fragments and bodies lying in the sun went viral around the world.
Ukrainians who were in the nearby barracks said that after everyone left, people in camouflage removed everything in boxes and left.
The UN mission to investigate this terrorist attack was disbanded on January 5, 2023, as it never visited the colony.
A separate Mission for monitoring human rights in Ukraine, which has been based in the country since 2014, did not wait. The team studied the testimony shown on Russian television by 16 survivors who were taken to hospital, examined public images from the scene and analyzed 20 statements by Russian officials who visited the prison.
One of the reports of the Mission stated that the attack took place from east to west. Russian territory is located east of occupied Donetsk. However, the UN did not publicly accuse Russia.
