Case against one of two suspects in Olenivka prison attack may be closed

In 2024, Ukrainian investigators charged two collaborators linked to the deaths of captured Ukrainian defenders: former head of the occupied prison Sergey Yevsiukov and his former first deputy, Dmitry Neyolov.

Both men were in their posts when an explosion in one of the barracks overnight into July 29, 2022, killed at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Nine of them died because they were not provided with urgent medical care.

According to the investigation, Yevsiukov and Neyolov understood the consequences of the explosions and the number of casualties, but deliberately delayed the evacuation of the wounded.

They face life sentences under the charges, but Yevsiukov is unlikely to stand trial. In December 2024, his SUV was blown up in central occupied Donetsk, and he has since been considered dead.

For Ukrainian investigators, however, the fact of his death has not yet been definitively established, though preliminary data suggests it, prosecutor Taras Semkiv said.

“We need information that would reliably indicate death, and there is no official cooperation with the Russian Federation,” Semkiv said.

If Yevsiukov’s death is officially confirmed, the case against him would be closed on non-rehabilitating grounds.

“That means we are not closing the proceedings because we lack evidence, but because of the suspect’s death. National legislation provides the relevant procedure — notifying close relatives and giving them the opportunity to insist that the pre-trial investigation be completed in full. In that case, if such requests are made, the investigation will continue; if not, it will be closed due to the death,” the prosecutor explained.

While the official investigation has named only two suspects, investigators from the NGO Media Initiative for Human Rights have submitted the names of 10 people to the International Criminal Court.