The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it did not guarantee the safety of Ukrainian prisoners of war who left Azovstal. This is stated in the statement of the organization dated August 3.
"We did not guarantee the safety of prisoners of war who were in the hands of the enemy because it is not within our power. We explained this to the parties in advance. The parties to the conflict are obliged to ensure the protection of prisoners of war from acts of violence, intimidation, and public curiosity, as well as from the consequences of hostilities. Only the parties to the conflict can finally ensure the safety of prisoners of war," the Red Cross said.
The organization emphasized that during the withdrawal of the military from "Azovstal" they were a neutral mediator in coordination with the parties to the conflict. Also, the Red Cross recorded all information about the military, with the understanding that later permission would be given to visit them.
After the terrorist attack in Olenivka, the Red Cross requested access to the colony and to all places where victims are being treated or where bodies could be transported. The Red Cross also offered to support the evacuation of the wounded and provide free medical supplies, protective equipment, and forensics materials — an offer that went unanswered, as did a request for access. The organization stated that it cannot force "the parties of the conflict" to provide access to the prisoners of war in Olenivka — "it depends on goodwill."
"We are ready for deployment in Olenivka. We already have medical and forensic teams working nearby, as we have been working in Donetsk since 2014," the Red Cross added.
Since May, the International Committee of the Red Cross has visited "Olenivka" once, in May, to deliver water tanks. Then they managed to communicate with the military, but not all of them — there was no access to the prisoners of war, who were kept individually.
- On July 29, the Ukrainian security agencies published a joint statement regarding the terrorist attack in the colony in Olenivka: the evacuation format from "Azovstal" provided for the establishment of a regime of silence and the surrender of Ukrainian military personnel in captivity with a subsequent exchange — under the guarantees of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. They, as guarantors, were demanded to react to the terrorist act of Russia immediately.
- On the night of July 29, explosions rang out in the colony in the occupied city of Olenivka, Donetsk oblast, where the Russians held Ukrainian prisoners of war from "Azovstal". 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 fired upon by the Russians themselves in order to accuse Ukraine of "war crimes" and to cover up the torture of prisoners and executions. More than 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed by shelling, 130 were injured. Preliminarily, the Russians struck with a thermobaric weapon.
- 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. Ukrainian military intelligence said that the explosion was carried out by the mercenaries of PMC Wagner on the instructions of the owner of PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, "Putinʼs chef". 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. There are 48 dead on the list, and 73 names on the list of wounded. Ukraine asks people not to trust these lists because they are unofficial.