Ukraine investigates executions of 322 prisoners of war by Russia
- Author:
- Yuliia Zavadska
- Date:
reuters.com / «Бабель»
Ukrainian investigators are investigating the facts of the execution of 322 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 263 killed on the battlefield and another 59 in the Olenivka colony.
This was reported by the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office in response to a request from Ukrinform.
So far, 80 criminal proceedings have been initiated. As a result of the investigations, suspicions have been declared against nine Russian servicemen. Indictments against six of them have already been submitted to the court. Two verdicts have been rendered in these cases, and two more are pending.
Terrorist attack in Olenivka
On the night of July 29, 2022, explosions were heard in a prison in the occupied city of Olenivka, Donetsk region, where the Russians were holding Ukrainian prisoners of war from Azovstal.
According to the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, the explosions occurred after curfew — between 11:00 PM on July 28 and 1:00 AM on July 29, 2022. At that time, 193 prisoners of war from the “Azov” regiment were being held in the barracks.
It has now been possible to establish and identify 49 deceased servicemen, 48 of them thanks to forensic molecular genetic examinations, and one more deceased — from the testimonies of victims and witnesses.
Despite the fact that the captured Ukrainian servicemen are protected by the Geneva Convention, the Russians did not allow international organizations to inspect the scene of the crime. Instead, they tried to destroy and hide the traces of the crime.
"This is the first result of the investigation into the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka. None of those involved will go unpunished," the prosecutorʼs office noted.
- In October 2023, the UN determined the trajectory of the munition that hit the colony in Olenivka — it was moving from east to west. In July of this year, the UN admitted that the explosions were not caused by HIMARS missiles, as Russia claims.
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