By Clara Marchaud
Posted 2 hours ago, Updated 2 hours ago
The explosion at a detention center in Olenivka on Friday reportedly killed 53 people and injured 75, including members of the Azov Battalion who had gone to Mariupol. ALEXANDER YERMOCHENKO/Portal
NGO reports and testimonies from freed or exchanged Ukrainian prisoners mention numerous instances of torture, mutilation and summary executions by Russian forces. Unsustainable videos are circulating on social networks.
Kyiv
“This is a premeditated Russian war crime, premeditated mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Friday, July 29, explosions devastated a penal colony holding Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka, in a Moscow-controlled area of Donbass, 15 km from the frontline. According to the Russian occupation authorities, the bombardment claimed 53 dead and 75 injured, including members of the Azov battalion. These soldiers surrendered in May after a several-week siege of Mariupol, where they held the fortress of the Azovstal Steelworks.
When they “left the factory, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had pledged to protect our soldiers,” the Ukrainian head of state was outraged. The ICRC has asked to inspect the site, but the Kremlin is unlikely to honor the request. Russia routinely obstructs investigations into…
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