OLENIVKA: TWO YEARS SINCE THE DEADLY STRIKE THAT KILLED DOZENS OF UKRAINIAN POWS, A CONTINUED CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Prisoners of war are protected under international humanitarian law which requires their humane treatment and obligates the Detaining Power to ensure their safety. Deaths or serious injuries of POWs must be followed by an official and thorough inquiry by the Detaining Power. Any suspicion of criminal conduct must be promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, and transparently investigated, and those responsible must be prosecuted.

Despite these obligations, the authorities of the Russian Federation took steps that impeded independent efforts to establish the facts about the explosions at Olenivka. The scene was not preserved but was instead contaminated, with physical evidence disturbed. The Russian Federation did not allow access to UN monitors, nor were any other independent expert analyses conducted. Instead, the Russian authorities declared that the strike was carried out with HIMARS rockets launched by Ukrainian armed forces.

Based on interviews with more than 50 witnesses and survivors, as well as analysis of video and photographic footage, the UN Human Rights Office concluded last year that the explosions were not caused by HIMARS rockets launched by Ukrainian armed forces. While the precise type of weapon and its point of origin could not be determined, the pattern of structural damage appeared consistent with a projected ordnance having travelled on an east-to-west trajectory.

The lack of accountability for the deaths and injuries at the penal colony in Olenivka fits into the broader context of widespread and routine torture of Ukrainian POWs. The Russian authorities continue to subject POWs to deplorable conditions of detention, deprive them of healthcare, and allow limited or no contact with family and the outside world.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine continues to interview Ukrainian POWs upon their return to Ukraine, and their families and reiterates its calls for truth and accountability in line with fundamental principles of international humanitarian and human rights law.

UN Human Rights Office reported on Olenivka here:

Treatment of prisoners of war and persons hors de combat in the context of the armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2023 [24 March 2023] Paragraphs 72-76.

Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine, 1 February – 31 July 2023 [4 October 2023] Paragraphs 82-90.