On the night of July 29, 2022, Russians carried out a terrorist attack on the territory of Colony No. 120 in Olenivka, aimed at the brutal murder of unarmed and exhausted heroic defenders of Mariupol, whom they had been holding captive for more than two months at that time.
The day before, on July 27, nearly 200 fighters from the Azov Brigade were transferred to a hastily repaired building in the industrial zone of the colony. The following evening, they were lined up, checked against a list, and led one by one into the barracks, where they were forbidden to go outside.
At around 11:15 p.m., an explosion was heard outside the colony, and at around midnight, a second explosion was heard inside the cell. As a result of the explosion, the barracks collapsed and a fire broke out. The prisoners who were in the part of the barracks where the explosion occurred and the fire burned were all killed, while those in the other part suffered serious injuries and terrible burns. Screams could be heard from inside, but it was impossible to go in. Meanwhile, the colony administration did not extinguish the fire or provide medical assistance.
Only three hours after the attack did the occupation administration of the colony allow prisoners with medical experience to provide assistance to those who managed to get out on their own. The occupiers began evacuating the victims only in the morning and did so using trucks. Due to this method of transportation, some of the wounded died on the way.
According to information published in the annual report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on the state of observance and protection of human and civil rights and freedoms in Ukraine in 2024, as a result of explosions and a fire in the colony, at least 41 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and more than 145 were injured to varying degrees. Another nine people died as a result of untimely and inadequate medical care. Despite the fact that Ukrainian prisoners of war are protected by the Geneva Convention, the occupiers did not allow international organizations to inspect the scene. Instead, they tried to destroy and hide the traces of the crime.
On July 27, 2024, based on the results of the investigation, the head of the Olenivska correctional colony and his first deputy were notified of their suspicion of cruel treatment of prisoners of war, combined with intentional murder, committed by a group of persons acting in collusion.
This war crime, like countless others committed by Russia, will forever remain in the memory of Ukrainians! We are confident that sooner or later, everyone involved in this terrible tragedy will receive their deserved punishment.
За матеріалами Українського інституту національної пам’яті