Russia Continues to Block UN Access to Olenivka Prison Massacre Site

The Russian Federation has still not allowed UN representatives to visit the site of the Olenivka prison massacre, where approximately 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) lost their lives, according to a statement from the UN press service.

The Olenivka prison massacre occurred on July 29, 2022, at a detention facility in the Donetsk region, controlled by Russian forces. The facility housed Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom had defended Mariupol and surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant. The attack, marked by a powerful explosion, resulted in the deaths of about 50 POWs and injuries to many others. Russian authorities immediately blamed the attack on a Ukrainian strike using HIMARS rockets, while Ukraine denied this, asserting that Russia orchestrated the explosion to cover up war crimes and atrocities committed against the prisoners.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) categorically dismissed Russia’s claim that the Olenivka prison massacre was caused by a Ukrainian HIMARS rocket in a report.

The UN emphasized that POWs are protected under international humanitarian law, which mandates their humane treatment and requires the detaining power to ensure their safety. The death or serious injury of POWs must be investigated by the detaining authority. Any suspicion of criminal activity should prompt a swift, thorough, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation, with those responsible held accountable.

“Despite these commitments, the authorities of the Russian Federation took measures that obstructed independent efforts to establish the facts of the explosions in Olenivka. The scene of the incident was not only not preserved but also distorted, and physical evidence was damaged. The Russian Federation did not allow UN observers into this territory, and no other independent expert analyses were conducted. Instead, the Russian authorities claimed that the strike was carried out by HIMARS missiles fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the UN statement reads.