Dozens Of Ukrainian POWs Killed in Blast, Russia, Ukraine Accuse Each Other – An attack on a POW camp in a Russian-proxy-held area of eastern Ukraine has killed dozens of Ukrainian POWs, many of whom were captured after the siege of the Black Sea port of Mariupol.
Each side accused the other of a deliberate attack on the POW camp (Collection Colony No. 120) in Olenivka, which is controlled by the Russian-backed so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, in an attempt to cover up atrocities and war crimes.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seeking access to the site and has offered to help evacuate the wounded. A spokesman for the DPR put the death toll at 53.
“The ICRC has offered its support in the evacuation of the wounded and to donate medical supplies, protective equipment, and forensic material. Our priority right now is making sure that the wounded receive life-saving treatment and that the bodies of those who lost their lives are dealt with in a dignified manner,” it said in a statement.
“We have requested access to determine the health and condition of all the people present on-site at the time of the attack. We are also in contact with families, taking their requests and inquiries.”
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Using HIMARS Missile to Target Camp:
What is known is that an explosion ripped through a building holding Ukrainian POWs killing more than 50 troops and wounding and maiming dozens more.
Russian military bloggers and the AP posted videos and photographs inside the camp showing twisted metal bunks and charred bodies.
In a Friday press briefing, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Kyiv of using a US-made high-precision HIMARS missile to target the camp. One Russian military blogger posted photos of what he claimed were the remains of a US-made HIMARS missile. Russia said eight guards or camp administration personnel were injured in the explosion.
“A missile strike from the U.S.-made multiple launch rocket system (HIMARS) was carried out on a pre-trial detention center in the area of the settlement of Olenivka, where Ukrainian military prisoners of war, including fighters from the Azov battalion, are being held,” the ministry said,
Inside the camp are POWs from the 2,500 survivors from the siege of Mariupol, with many coming from the Azov Regiment.
Ukraine Claims Russia Killed The POWs To Hide Atrocities:
Kyiv quickly denied Moscow’s charges and made claims of their own, stating that Russia is responsible and killed the prisoners to hide the fact that POWs were being tortured.
“Russian occupiers are pursuing their criminal goals, accusing Ukraine of committing war crimes while hiding the torture and shooting of prisoners,” the Ukrainian general staff said in a released statement.
“According to the commander of the Missile Forces and Artillery of the Land Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not launch missile and artillery strikes in the area of Olenivka settlement,” the statement said.
Russian proxy separatists were in charge of the camp until the POWs from Mariupol were transferred there, then took over the running of the camp, which denotes the importance that Moscow thought of those particular troops. The new building that the prisoners were killed in was constructed just days before, and the prisoners moved there just prior to the blast.
Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service, the SBU, posted an audio recording Friday night of what it claimed were two Russian-backed separatist fighters discussing the explosion over the phone. In the call, one person said there was no rocket sound before the explosion and that Russian forces had likely blown up the barracks themselves. Like the Russian claim, this audio recording can’t be independently verified.
While many say that Russia has little reason to kill a potential bargaining chip in the POWs, their attitude toward the Mariupol survivors, especially those of the Azov Regiment, is quite clear.
The Russian embassy in London has tweeted after the prison blast that Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azov Regiment “deserve execution, but death not by firing squad but by hanging, because they’re not real soldiers. They deserve a humiliating death.”
The Ukrainian General Staff has said that the UN and the ICRC should immediately investigate the attack on the compound. This week a video circulated online of a Chechen soldier castrating a Ukrainian POW before shooting him in the head.
Ukrainian civilians released from Collection Colony No. 120 recall beatings and torture were commonplace and that food was kept at near starvation level.
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO, and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com and other military news organizations, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for over 11 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
