PRESS RELEASE : The President of Ukraine held a meeting devoted to the terrorist attack committed by the occupiers in Olenivka, at which a joint statement of representatives of the law enforcement agencies and the Ombudsman was approved

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 July 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting devoted to the terrorist attack in Olenivka deliberately committed by the occupiers.

The meeting was attended by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk and Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

They informed the Head of State in detail about the terrorist attack that took place today in Olenivka on the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, the motives of the Russian side and the technical preparation of the crime. This morning, the enemy committed a terrorist attack on the territory of the former penal colony, which is now used as a place of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war. A powerful explosion in the colony killed Ukrainian defenders.

The representatives of the mentioned security structures of Ukraine expressed a consolidated position regarding the events in Olenivka, which was enshrined in the Joint Statement regarding the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

In particular, it is noted in their Joint Statement that during the explosion on the night of July 29, which occurred on the territory of the former penal colony of the village of Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, the building in which Ukrainian prisoners of war were kept was destroyed. According to the Russians, more than 50 Ukrainian defenders were killed, the number of wounded is unknown.

According to the Joint Statement, not a single employee of the colony, “DPR” soldier or Russian military man guarding the premises, according to the comments of the Russian side, was injured in the explosion. Immediately after the explosion, Russia accused Ukraine of shelling this facility with U.S. weapons and killing Ukrainian soldiers.

The leaders of the law enforcement agencies state that this explosion is a cynical terrorist act of the Russian Federation, a military provocation and a classic false flag operation, the purpose of which is to cover up war crimes, discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine, disrupt the supply of Western weapons and increase social tension in Ukrainian society.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine attack solely Russian military facilities: warehouses with fuel, weapons and ammunition, command posts, and military infrastructure facilities. The Ukrainian army has enough means to identify targets, including space reconnaissance systems. Ukraine did not fire rockets and artillery at the village of Olenivka, the agencies said.

According to the Joint Statement, on May 16, with the mediation of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the process of evacuating the defenders of Mariupol from the territory of the Azovstal plant, which was surrounded and which was under attack of Russian troops for a long time, began. The format of the evacuation provided for the establishment of a ceasefire and the surrender of the Ukrainian military as prisoners, with subsequent swap under the guarantees of the aforementioned organizations. This format was chosen and approved by the defenders of Mariupol, who participated in the negotiations.

The key condition of the chosen format was the obligations of the Russian side to international organizations regarding the preservation of the lives and health of Ukrainian defenders. This guarantee was cynically violated, the security forces said.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the acting head of the SBU, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada state that many documented evidences prove the planned nature of this crime and its commission by the Russian side: in particular, the deliberate transfer of fighters to a new premises shortly before the explosion, analysis of the nature of injuries and the movement of the blast wave, interception of telephone conversations of militants, absence of shelling in the specified place and others. All this leaves no doubt: the explosion in Olenivka was a Russian terrorist act and a gross violation of international agreements.

Taking into account the above, the heads of the agencies require the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which acted as guarantors of the life and health of Ukrainian prisoners of war, to immediately react to the terrorist act committed by the Russian Federation.

They should immediately send their representatives, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada and representatives of the Joint Center for Search and Release of Prisoners to the territory of the colony in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region with the purpose of an inspection mission.