UN mission soon to arrive in Olenivka where Ukrainian POWs were killed
EUROPEAN PRAVDA — WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER, 2022, 23:57
A UN fact-finding mission will arrive in the occupied city of Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, in the next few days; as is well known, this is the place where more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were killed in late July.
As European Pravda reports, this was stated by Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, at the meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
"The fact-finding mission to Olenivka is set to deploy in the coming days to look into the incident on 29 July that led to the death of 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Between 75 and 130 more were injured," she said.
"The head of the mission, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, is accompanied by an experienced team of senior officials and experts. The mission must be able to conduct its work without interference, having safe, secure and unfettered access to people, places and evidence," the UN representative added.
DiCarlo also thanked Ukraine and Russia "for their constructive approach and their preparation for this mission" and added that the UN counted on their continued support.
Background:
- On the morning of 29 July, Russian-aligned propaganda media reported the attack on a prison camp in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners were being held. Russia claimed that at least 53 prisoners were killed.
- The Ukrainian General Staff rejected Russian accusations that the strike was carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the General Staff, the Russians were trying to cover up the torture and murders of prisoners of war.
- The Chief Intelligence Directorate believes that the killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka was organised by the Wagner Group [a Russian private military company - ed.] on the personal instructions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, without coordination with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
- In August, the United Nations set up a commission to investigate the deaths of Ukrainian POWs in the prison camp in occupied Olenivka. The commission included a retired Brazilian police Lieutenant General, an Icelandic diplomat and a Nigerian police officer.
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