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Ukraine Marks First National Mourning Day for Olenivka Massacre Victims
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
Ukraine officially observed the inaugural Day of Mourning and Remembrance for Defenders of Ukraine who died in Russian captivity on July 28.
The date marks the anniversary of the 2022 Russian strike on the Olenivka detention facility, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war — primarily members of the Azov battalion — were killed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commemorated the occasion in a statement shared via social media, emphasizing the broader scale of atrocities committed by Russian forces.
“On the night of July 28–29, 2022, Russia committed one of its most horrific war crimes by killing dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war — Azov fighters — in Olenivka,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Tragically, this is far from the only example of Russian atrocities.”
The official commemoration honors Ukrainian defenders, members of volunteer formations, and civilians who were executed, tortured, or died while in Russian captivity. The move to establish the memorial day was formalized by a presidential decree signed earlier this year.
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 53 people were killed and over 75 wounded in the Olenivka attack, which struck a facility in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk region.
Independent international investigators, including the UN, were denied access to the site, hampering efforts to verify Russian claims that Ukraine itself carried out the attack with a HIMARS strike — an assertion strongly denied by Kyiv and widely challenged by Western intelligence.
“We remember. And we will not forgive,” Zelenskyy concluded.
Earlier, it was reported that the Olenivka massacre has come to symbolize the dangers Ukrainian prisoners of war face in Russian detention. Independent access to the site was blocked, casting doubt on Russia’s claims and prompting renewed international calls for investigation and justice.
