On the day of the terrorist attack, July 29, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released several audio intercepts.
In them, militants of the so-called “DPR” said among themselves that the explosives had been planted inside the colony. They did not hear the sounds of a missile strike — there was no characteristic whistle or explosion outside. The intercepts also indicate that the day before, certain people had been deliberately transferred to the barracks that suffered the most damage. This was the first significant evidence that Ukraine presented to the world that day.
The international community needed a formal, independent investigation.
5 days after the attack, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres reported the creation of a special mission to investigate the prison bombing. It was to collect evidence at the scene of the attack, interview prisoners and prison staff, and conduct an independent investigation. The mission was created at the request of both Ukraine and Russia to maintain neutrality.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also asked the Russian side for access to the site of the explosion. However, not for the purpose of investigation, but to provide assistance to the wounded and to collect the bodies of the dead for proper accounting. The UN supported the activities of ICRC as the only international organization that should take care of prisoners of war.
While international organizations were preparing an official investigation, independent analysts and journalists began to study the circumstances of the tragedy.
Less than a month after the explosion, the American television channel CNN published its own investigation. It was based on an analysis of photo and video materials, satellite images before and after the explosion, as well as the conclusions of forensic experts and weapons specialists. They concluded that the Russian version of the HIMARS strike was unlikely. The experts did not confirm the use of this weapon, but they could not say for sure what caused the deaths of the prisoners.
It was in this material that the version was first voiced that Russia could have used a thermobaric weapon — a vacuum bomb that first absorbs oxygen from the air and then creates a strong shock wave and high temperature. It was this bomb that could have been used inside the barracks.
Colony No. 120 in Olenivka — shots from the outside and inside. It was here that an explosion occurred in a barracks with Ukrainian prisoners of war on July 29, 2022.
reuters.com / «Бабель»
The UN insisted on starting an investigation directly at the scene of the terrorist attack.
Although the Investigative Committee of Russia arrived there almost immediately and was able to cover up the traces, even after several months, Russia did not provide ICRC and the UN mission with full and unhindered access to the scene of the tragedy. As a result, the investigation never began. The Investigative Committee of Russia itself has not publicly reported on the progress of the investigation since August 13, 2022.
On January 5, 2023, António Guterres officially disbanded the mission due to the lack of security guarantees and conditions for work at the scene of the tragedy. The mission formally existed for about five months (almost 156 days), but was never able to fulfill its tasks. In three years, no international organization has been granted access to the colony.
In October 2023, the UN officially rejected Russiaʼs version that the explosion in the colony was caused by American HIMARS missiles, allegedly used by the Ukrainian military. The report by the UN Human Rights Office said that Russia had not provided any evidence for this version. At the same time, in three years, no international organization has officially recognized that the terrorist attack was planned by Russia, and not due to the carelessness of individuals.
In 2023-2024, the Olenivka Community and independent human rights activists conducted their investigation into the terrorist attack in the Olenivka colony.
In December 2024, they asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the mass murder and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war. They attached evidence of a war crime to the appeal. The investigation also identified the names of individuals who were likely involved in it. However, so far there has been no decisive action by the court, and there are no time limits for a response.
Presumably involved in the terrorist attack are the following:
The head of the colony Serhii Yevsyukov (probably died on December 9, 2024 in Donetsk) and his deputy Dmytro Neyolov;
The director of the State Service for the Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the “DPR” Yuriy Doroshenko;
The director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSPS) of the Russian Federation Arkady Gostev, his deputies Valery Boyarinev and Rustam Stepanenko;
The head of the FSPS group in the “DPR” Kirill Popov;
The head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin and his deputy Konstantin Korpusov;
The commander of the Southern Group of Russian Forces in Ukraine in June-September 2022 Sergey Surovikin.
Families of prisoners from Barrack 200 initiated the Day of Remembrance for those killed in the terrorist attack.
The initiative was later expanded to include a day to honour all those who died in Russian captivity. The first petition to officially recognize it appeared on July 11, 2023. It received the required number of votes, but the response stated that “a new day of remembrance could overload the calendar”. Only on July 22, 2025 was the day of remembrance officially approved. It will be celebrated annually on July 28.
Although Ukraine officially says at least 53 people have died, the exact number is still unknown.
47 defenders have been identified and buried. Approximately 50 people who were seriously injured in the terrorist attack are also being held captive.
From the lists it is known that only “Azov” fighters were in the barracks, but the “Olenivka Community” emphasizes that the Russian lists cannot be considered completely reliable. Currently, there is no evidence that fighters from other units were there, but there is also no exact number of dead and survivors.
After the terrorist attack in the Olenivka colony, relatives of “Azov” prisoners took part in the first support actions, Zhytomyr, August 1, 2022.
Getty Images / «Babel'»