The acting commander of the "Azov" regiment, Mykyta Nadtochii, made the first official statement regarding the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the detention center in the occupied territory of Donetsk oblast.
"We regard the attack on Olenivka as an act of public execution. Russia carried it out with impunity. They are used to the fact that no one will hold them accountable, even for openly violating the laws and customs of war. Therefore, we, "Azov", Ukraine as a state and the entire civilized world will give a painful rebuff so that Russia remembers this once and for all. We are already finding out the names of the executioners and organizers of the execution, we already have preliminary information," said Nadtochii.
According to him, the regiment already has preliminary information, but is not yet ready to announce it.
"Ukraine, as a state, will ensure a fair punishment. For a day they lied about the Ukrainian army, and today they confirmed their crime with a statement from the embassy. I want to remind Putin, who is personally responsible for this crime, that "they donʼt talk about the rope in the hanged manʼs house," the commander emphasized, adding that now "Azov" is the entire country and everyone will take revenge for the killing of prisoners.
- On the night of July 29, explosions rang out in the colony in the occupied city of Olenivka, Donetsk oblast, where the Russians kept Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Russians said that it was the Armed Forces of Ukraine who hit with HIMARS. However, the General Staff of Ukraine stated that the pre-trial detention center was shelled by the Russians themselves with artillery in order to accuse Ukraine of "war crimes" and to cover up torture of prisoners and executions. More than 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed and 130 were injured in the shelling.
- The explosions took place on the territory of the industrial zone in a newly built building that was supposed to be specially equipped to hold prisoners who had been taken out of Azovstal. The building was completed on July 27, after which some of the captured Ukrainian defenders were transferred to it. The Security Service of Ukraine intercepted telephone conversations in which the occupiers confirm that Russian troops are responsible for the shelling of the pre-trial detention center. Ukrainian military intelligence said that the explosion was carried out by the mercenaries of "PMC Wagner" on the instructions of the owner of "PMC" — "Putinʼs chef" Yevgeny Prigozhin. They did not coordinate the organization and actual terrorist attack with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
- On July 30, the Ministry of Defense of Russia published a list of Ukrainian prisoners of war who allegedly died as a result of a terrorist attack in a colony in the occupied Olenivka of Donetsk oblast. The list includes 48 dead, the identities of two are being established, because they allegedly died on the way to the hospital. There are 73 names on the list of the wounded.