Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of killing dozens of prisoners of war in the bombing of Olenivka. With an invitation to the United Nations and the Red Cross, Russians seek to signal interest in objective investigations. Russian authorities announced this Sunday (31/07) that Moscow had invited the United Nations and the Red Cross to the town of Olenivka, in the Ukrainian province of Donetsk. , to investigate deaths in a missile attack. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the invitation is “in the interests of conducting an objective investigation”.
On Friday, the local prison was bombed, killing at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Control of the eastern province is divided between the national armed forces and pro-Russian separatists. Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of the attack.
Azov Battalion condemns “public execution act”
The UN had already announced its willingness to send experts to investigate the offensive if both parties agreed to its presence. For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had requested access to the prison in order to “assess the health and condition of all those present at the time of the attack.
His priority would be to ensure that the wounded receive “emergency treatment” and that the dead are treated with dignity, he added. Until the evening, there was still no response to his request, registered the Red Cross on Twitter, reminding that it is an obligation of both parties, according to the Geneva Convention.
Olenivka’s dead are said to have been members of the Azov Battalion, which is fighting pro-Moscow separatists in Donbass, captured after the fall of the port city of Mariupol in May. In a statement released on Sunday by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, the regiment’s commander, Major Mykyta Nadtochii, condemned the bombing.
“We consider the attack on Olenivka an act of public execution. Russia committed it with impunity. They are used to no one holding them accountable even for outright violations of laws, customs and rules of war. Therefore we, Azov, Ukraine as a state, and the whole civilized world will painfully resist so that Russia remembers this once and for all.”
Evacuation from Donetsk against Russian “terrorism”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday appealed to the people of Donetsk to leave the eastern province in order to escape “Russian terror”. According to the governor of Donetsk, six civilians were killed and 15 wounded on Friday.
“The government has taken the decision to order the mandatory withdrawal from the Donetsk region”, underlined Zelensky in the nightly video addressed to the population daily. “Please withdraw. At this stage of the war, terror is Russia’s main weapon.”
Once again, the head of state urged the international community, especially the United States, to classify Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism”, and stressed that thousands are still in conflict areas, including children.
Ukrainian agribusiness leader killed in bombing
Recognized as a “people’s republic” by Russia shortly before the official start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Donetsk is one of two administrative regions of the Donbass in eastern Ukraine, partially under Kiev’s control. Russian bombings have caused daily casualties among the civilian population.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also announced the mandatory evacuation of the entire population of Donetsk, due to the destruction of the gas networks, which will result in the collapse of the heating system next winter (December to March).
According to the local mayor, Vadim Lyakh, during the early hours of Saturday a bus station in Sloviansk was bombed. The city is close to the front line where Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow separatists are fighting for complete control of the Donetsk region.
The important port city of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, was bombed on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Among the victims are Oleksiy Vadatursky, founder and owner of Nibulon, one of the largest agrarian companies in the country, and his wife.
According to Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region, the couple died at their home. Nibulon specializes in the production of wheat, barley and corn, having a fleet of ships and its own shipyard.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, two Russian attacks spaced one hour apart hit civilian infrastructure, including a school, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.
av (AFP,Lusa,Reuters,ots)
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