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Investigation Confirms Olenivka Prison Officials Obstructed Medical Aid, Leading to More POW Deaths

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Investigation Confirms Olenivka Prison Officials Obstructed Medical Aid, Leading to More POW Deaths
A building of the Olenivka penal colony after an explosion. (Source: Wikimedia)

Officials at the Olenivka prison, in coordination with Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, intentionally took actions that led to additional deaths among Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) following the deadly attack on the facility, according to Dmytro Martsyn, prosecutor of the 18th Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office on January 28.

At least nine Ukrainian soldiers died due to the deliberate denial of medical assistance, said Martsyn.

Investigators gathered evidence from survivors and witnesses who were later returned to Ukraine in prisoner exchanges.

“As a result of our investigation, we established that the prison leadership, acting in collusion with yet-to-be-identified representatives of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, deliberately engaged in actions and inaction that caused additional casualties,” Martsyn added.

“At least 41 people were killed directly by the explosion, and we have confirmed that at least nine more members of the Azov Brigade died due to the lack of proper medical care.”

According to Martsyn, Russian officials at Olenivka prison delayed medical treatment, obstructed military medics from providing aid, and failed to properly evacuate the wounded. The use of inadequate evacuation measures further deteriorated the prisoners’ conditions, leading to additional deaths before and during the evacuation process.

Following the investigation, Ukrainian prosecutors formally charged the head of the Olenivka prison and his deputy with violating the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder on February 27, 2024.

The Olenivka massacre occurred on the night of July 29, 2022, when a powerful explosion ripped through the barracks housing Ukrainian POWs at Penal Colony No. 210 in the Russian-occupied town of Olenivka, Donetsk region.

Russia claimed that around 50 Ukrainian prisoners were killed and more than 70 seriously wounded. However, independent investigations and Ukrainian officials suggest Moscow staged the attack as an extrajudicial execution of Ukrainian defenders.

The International Committee of the Red Cross attempted to access the site but was blocked by Russian forces.

Earlier, the head of the Olenivka prison, Sergey Yevsyukov was killed in a car explosion in temporarily occupied Donetsk.

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