UN analysis reveals Olenivka prison was hit by thermobaric munitions fired by Russian Armed Forces, killing Ukrainian POWs

In his statement, Ukrainian Ombudsman Lubinets emphasized that the Ukrainian side had repeatedly attempted to meet with the UN mission in order to present the collected evidence, but the mission refused to take Kyiv’s findings into consideration. Meanwhile, Russia’s ombudsman declined to participate in a joint visit to the prison. Only a year later, according to Lubinets, did the UN officially acknowledge that Russia’s claim about the use of HIMARS was unfounded.

The Ukrainian ombudsman called the report an important document that should catalyze a full-fledged international investigation. He urged for the public disclosure of the findings and for bringing the culprits to justice.

“We insist on a fair investigation and the punishment of those responsible. The pain of Ukrainians over Olenivka has not gone away.”

The Ukrainian side continues to collect eyewitness testimonies and to analyze satellite images and photos. It has also offered a reward for information that could help in identifying the perpetrators of the attack.

On the night of July 28, 2022, the explosion at the prison claimed the lives of 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war and injured another 130.

The authorities of the so-called Donetsk “People's Republic,” along with the Russian Ministry of Defense, claimed that the strike on the prison had been carried out by the Ukrainian side using American HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. However, CNN investigators who analyzed videos, photographs, and satellite images reported that the likelihood of a HIMARS missile strike on the prison was all but nonexistent.

From the very beginning, the Ukrainian side has insisted that the explosion in Olenivka was a terrorist act orchestrated by Russia in an effort to disrupt Western weapons supplies to Kyiv. Among those killed in the 2022 prison strike were fighters from the Azov Regiment, whom Russia was reluctant to exchange, as The Insider reported.