"Olenivka is a crime against humanity": Ukrainians remind the world about the devastating Russian terrorist attack

On the night of July 28-29, 2022, the Russian occupiers committed a grave war crime: they blew up a barracks in the colony in Olenivka, Donetsk region, where captured soldiers from the Azov regiment were held. As a result, 54 Mariupol defenders were killed, and more than 130 Azov prisoners of war were wounded.

On the second anniversary of the terrible crime, Ukrainians were called upon to draw the world's attention to what the Russians did in Olenivka so that no one would have any doubt about what modern Russia is like and so that the aggressor state would be held accountable for its actions. This call was published on the official channel of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

"On the day of the second anniversary of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, we urge you to tell the world about this tragedy. Join us in honoring the memory of the victims of the Russian crime. Engage both Ukrainian and international audiences," the statement reads.

Azov reminded that the occupiers blew up the barracks in Olenivska colony on the night of July 29. Just the day before, the captured Azov residents were transferred there.

The victims of the crime, which Russia cynically tried to blame on Ukraine, were 54 Mariupol defenders. At least 130 soldiers were wounded.

The surviving soldiers were forced to carry the bodies of their fallen comrades. Azov emphasized that some of the wounded could have been saved, but the invaders left them to die without even thinking to provide assistance.

"Olenivka is a crime against humanity, a violation of all possible rules of warfare and treatment of prisoners of war. Russia is relying on the short memory of the international community, on the oblivion of its crimes and its own propaganda. Every mention is important. The more people learn about the occupiers' crimes, the less chances Russia has to avoid punishment. Tell everyone about Olenivka. Join us in honoring the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack," the Ukrainian soldiers called.

Ukraine still does not know the names of all those who died as a result of the barracks explosion in Olenivka. Some of the names that have been identified are listed on the Memorial Platform.

The identified victims of Russia's war crime:

- Ihor Prokopenko

- Oleksandr Hrynko

- Dmytro Bukaryov

- Yehor Bartosh

- Dmytro Krukovskyi

- Artem Serdeshnyi

- Bohdan Khomovskyi

- Yevheniy Horbatyi

- Stanislav Artemenko

- Vitaliy Lytvyn

- Kostiantyn Istratov

- Yevhen Pashnyuk-Pashniev

- Yaroslav Otrok

- Yaroslav Bais

- Ihor Kholodnyak

- Andriy Konyaiev

- Vladyslav Bilyi

- Mykola Baranovskyi

- Vladyslav Shelomiienko

- Oleksiy Kisilishyn

- Vladyslav Solonskyi

- Bohdan Hryshkevych

- Denys Parfyonov

- Andriy Bereza

- Anatolyi Denysov

- Mykola Babych

- Serhiy Khavanskykh

- Vitaliy Zinchuk

- Petro Huk

- Mykola Karas

- Andriy Bozduhan

- Mykola Pelekhatyi

- Serhiy Petrenko

- Serhiy Pavlichenko

- Oleksandr Babenko

- Mykola Ahanin

- Serhiy Rakovskyi

- Serhiy Karnovych

- Serhiy Zusin

- Volodymyr Vlasishyn

- Vladyslav Volkov

- Volodymyr Hvozdynskyi

- Oleksiy Dmytruk

- Hryhoriy Barninets

- Oleksandr Tsechoyev

- Ihor Hamayunov

- Oleksiy Novykov.

"They were killed in captivity because they could not be defeated on the battlefield," Memorial added.

Earlier, AP published an article on the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka. The authors stated that the results of the investigation of the terrorist attack in Olenivka point to Russia's direct guilt.

Two years have passed since the attack, and the occupiers have not allowed UN observers to enter the territory, nor have they conducted any other independent expert analyses.

According to the journalists, less than 20 of the 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were in the colony at the time of the attack have returned home.

"On the morning of July 27, 2022, Russian guards gathered a group of prisoners and took them to the industrial part of the colony, away from the other five barracks for prisoners of war. They were taken to a building made of cinder blocks with a tin roof. There were 100 beds without mattresses and a hastily dug toilet," the journalists wrote, citing survivors.

According to the article, the guards of the colony dug trenches for themselves on the same day, and the next day they moved the guard post and put on bulletproof vests and helmets, which they had not done before. When the explosion occurred at night, fire engulfed the building. One witness said that the guards were laughing and throwing rags and flashlights at the Ukrainian prisoners. The next day, the survivors were isolated from the rest of the prisoners of war in the colony.

An internal UN analysis showed that they were isolated on purpose to prevent them from telling others in the colony what had happened. In addition, some prisoners had access to cell phones.

According to the organization's analysis, another part of the Ukrainian military was sent to the bombed barracks and ordered to remove the remaining debris and bodies. Two hours later, this group was sent to a nearby hangar, and some saw people in camouflage bringing boxes of ammunition to the site of the explosion and placing HIMARS fragments on a nearby bench.

Soon after, Russian officials accompanied by propagandists arrived at the colony. They took photos of charred bunk beds, HIMARS fragments, and bodies lying in the sun. After everyone left, the men in camouflage put everything in boxes and left.

The UN Secretary-General announced that he would conduct his own investigation, but negotiations for access to the site were long and ultimately fruitless. The mission was disbanded on January 5, 2023.

And two years after the terrible crime, international courts still have not investigated the terrorist attack in Olenivka.

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