Russia is ready to return the bodies of Ukrainian POWs killed in Olenivka "after an investigation" — the ombudsman

02 August 2022 11:36

Russian agreed to return the bodies of prisoners of war who died as a result of the explosion in Olenivka, but after conducting the investigation, saidUkrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on the air of the United News telethon.

Russian agreed to return the bodies of prisoners of war who died as a result of the explosion in Olenivka, but "after conducting the investigation," said Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on the air of the United News telethon.

"We received a signal that they [the Russians] are ready to return the bodies of our heroes, but 'after the completion of the investigation.' We have not yet received an answer to clarify how much time is needed for the investigation, but we are waiting," Lubinets said.

The official added that as of August 1, Russia has not yet granted access to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to the place where Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in Olenivka, despite the Russian side's statement about allegedly granting access to representatives of the ICRC and the UN monitoring mission.

The ombudsman also stated that the UN does not respond to the requests of the Ukrainian side regarding the explosion in Olenivska prison.

"We have communication with the ICRC, but with the UN, we have a worse situation. I send letters and requests. I did it on the first day, right after the tragedy. I personally did not receive any signal, even an unofficial one. I can publicly confirm this," he said.

What happened in Olenivka?

On July 29, Russian propagandists claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked a prison in the village of Olenivka in Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian POWs are detained, with HIMARS multiple rocket launchers. The leader of the self-proclaimed "DPR" Pushylin said that the shelling could have happened because the prisoners "began to testify."

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has launched an investigation into the Russian shelling of a prison in the occupied Olenivka in Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian POWs, including members of the Azov Regiment, were detained.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that the explosions in Olenivka were carried out by mercenaries of the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group, allegedly under the personal command of the nominal owner Yevgeny Prigozhin. According to intelligence, the organization and implementation of the explosion were not coordinated with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

On July 30, Lubinets said that the Ukrainian side had begun the procedure of returning the bodies of the fallen service members held in the Olenivka prison. The Ukrainian side sent a corresponding request to return the bodies of the dead to the territory which is under the control of the Ukrainian authorities.