Office of President of Ukraine dissatisfied with inaction of Red Cross concerning Tragedy in Olenivka

29 January marks six months since the murder of over 53 Ukrainian servicemen at the penal colony in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, but the International Committee of the Red Cross has still not sent a delegation to investigate the scene of the crime, the Office of the President reported.

Sources: Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram; Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for human rights (ombudsman), on Telegram

Quote from Yermak: "A terrible terrorist attack in Olenivka. Six months have passed since this Russian crime; a crime that we will not allow anyone to forget. We are fighting to punish the perpetrators and to remember all those killed. We will locate all of the criminals and bring them to justice, and Russia will be held accountable at the international tribunal.

Alas, the international organisations do not always carry out their designated duties. In particular, the International Committee of the Red Cross has not yet sent a delegation to Olenivka. They have not investugated the circumstances of the crime, nor the condition of our people who are still held there."

Details: Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also complained about the lack of proper response to the crime in Olenivka from the international community.

Quote from Lubinets: "Ukraine has not received the expected reaction from the international community - there is no progress in the investigation, and no one has even managed to gain access to the scene of the tragedy.

It is disappointing that the International Committee of the Red Cross has not reacted properly.

The UN’s position remains unclear. At first, the Secretary General had organised a separate mission to Olenivka. However, no effort was made to meet with the Ukrainian representatives who would share the findings and documents related to this terrorist attack.

Furthermore five months later on, the UN mission has been disbanded; without having offered any criticism of the Russian Federation. During all this time, Russia did not grant access to either the representatives of the mission or Ukraine and, in fact, disrupted the investigation."

Background:

• On 29 July, Russian-aligned propaganda media announced the shelling of a penal colony in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were being held. They reported that the number of those killed stood at a minimum of 53.
• The General Staff of Ukraine denied Russian allegations that Ukraine was behind the attack.  The General Staff said that Russia shelled the penal colony to cover up the torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
• Ukrainian Intelligence believes that the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka was organised by the Wagner Group [a Russian private military company] on the personal instructions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, without coordination with the leadership of the Russian Defence Ministry.
• Units of the Azov Regiment announced a hunt for all those involved in the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka on 29 July.
• In October, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it cannot "force its way" to the Ukrainian prisoners of war, who are illegally held by the Russian Federation, but "shares the disappointment" of Ukraine.

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