Russia blocks Red Cross from visiting Olenivka prison camp – human rights ombudsman
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO – MONDAY, 1 AUGUST 2022, 20:03
Dmytro Lubinets, Human Rights Commissioner in Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian Parliament - ed.], says that Russia has not yet allowed representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to access the Olenivka prison camp, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed on 29 July. Lubinets also claims that his requests for UN intervention have thus far been ignored.
Source: Lubinet, on the 24/7 national joint newscast
Quote: "Despite Russia’s claims that it has granted ICRC representatives and the UN monitoring mission access to the site of the Olenivka tragedy, today I received an update from the ICRC saying that they haven’t yet been granted this access."
"We have an established communication channel with the ICRC, but the UN is less consistent in its communications with us. I send them letters and appeals. I did so on the very first day, right after the tragedy took place. I have personally not received any information from them, any messages. I can publicly confirm this."
Details: Lubinets also said that he has received a "signal" that Russia is considering his request to visit the Olenivka prison camp and talk to the Ukrainian prisoners of war held there.
"Today I received a signal that they are considering this initiative of mine," the ombudsman said. However he said he did not expect to be granted access to Olenivka anytime soon.
When asked whether Russia is prepared to return the bodies of the Ukrainian prisoners killed in Olenivka, Lubinets said: "We have received a signal that they are prepared to return the bodies of our heroes, but only after ‘the investigation is over’. We have not yet received a clarification on how long the investigation might take."
Earlier: On 31 July, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation announced that it had invited experts from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to the Olenivka prison camp, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed on 29 July.
Lubinets has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to organise his visit to the prison camp in Olenivka that was shelled by the Russian forces on 29 July. He wants to inspect the bodies of the soldiers who were killed in the shelling and speak to those who were injured.
Background:
- On the morning of 29 July, Russian-aligned propaganda media reported the shelling of a prison camp in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners are being held. Russia has claimed that at least 53 prisoners were killed.
- The General Staff of Ukraine has denied Russia’s allegations that the prison camp was shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has said that Russia shelled Olenivka to cover up the torture and murders of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
- The Ukrainian Directorate of Intelligence believes that the killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka was organised by the Wagner Group [a Russian private military company - ed.] on the personal instructions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, without coordination with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
- The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) later disclosed intercepted telephone conversations in which Russian occupiers confirm that Russian troops were responsible for the explosion in the prison camp in the Russian-occupied Olenivka, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian PoWs.
- Units of the Azov Regiment have announced a hunt for all those involved in the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka on 29 July.
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