Relatives demand investigation for the 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war killed in Olenivka

First modification: 08/02/2022 – 04:54

The members of the association of relatives of the defenders of Azovstal demand an in-depth investigation of what happened and assure that Russia is responsible for the bombing, they also ask the Red Cross and the UN that the bodies of their loved ones be handed over to their families.

However, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that they have not yet been able to reach the site of the attack, while the deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Farhan Haq, announced that they already have a team that will carry research ahead.

“Families must receive urgent news and answers about what happened to their loved ones. The parties must do everything in their power, including through impartial investigations, to help determine the facts behind the attack,” he published. in a statement the Committee.

For its part, Russia published that they had invited officials from the two international organizations to “carry out an objective investigation of the attack.”

Dariia Tsykunova, 22, and the partner of an officer of the Azov regiment, does not believe the Russian version that assures that it was Ukraine that attacked the barracks where its own soldiers were with the systems that kyiv has been using to attack the posts. of command and ammunition depots of Russia present on the Ukrainian territory.

“Many military analysts have already said that, based on photos and videos of the scene published by Russia itself and documenting the destruction, as well as the location where the bodies were found and their condition, it is not compatible with the use of HIMAR,” Tsykunova said, referring to the US “High Mobility Artillery Rocket System” that was delivered to the Ukrainian Army.

In addition, Tsykunova denounced that it is possible that Russia carried out the bombing to hide that it executed prisoners and that it tortured them “they are trying to make us stop defending our country. The Olenivka explosion also has the aspect of an attempt to scare us, to make us lose faith.” “.

The attack

The act was perpetrated last Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defense assured that it was the result of a deliberate attack on kyiv with HIMARS missiles, leaving 193 prisoners of war wounded and dead.

The ministry reported that 50 died and that the remains of 48 were recovered from the rubble, while two others died of their injuries when they were transferred to a care center.

They also pointed out that another 73 who are convalescing are being treated “adequately” in hospitals, but they have serious injuries.

“All political, criminal and moral responsibility for the carnage against the Ukrainians rests with Zelensky himself, his criminal regime and Washington that supports them,” said Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.

However, the Ukrainian armed forces responded by disassociating themselves from the accusations, denying that they had carried out missile attacks against the Olenivka detention center. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of having committed another war crime with this deed.

“I call on all partners to strongly condemn this brutal violation of international humanitarian law and recognize Russia as a terrorist state,” Kuleba posted on Twitter.

The Red Cross, for its part, requested to be able to access the place after what happened to remove the wounded, offer them care, but “so far, we have not received any official confirmation that grants us access to visit the site or the prisoners affected by the attack and to date, our offer of material assistance has not been accepted.

Later they reminded the parties involved in the conflict that they are obliged to allow their officials to visit the place and the prisoners of war.

“It is imperative that the ICRC has immediate access to the Olenivka facilities and other places where the wounded and dead may have been transferred to carry out their humanitarian mission”, however they stated that it is not within their functions to carry out public investigations into ” alleged war crimes.

With information from Reuters and EFE