Russia bombs correctional colony in Zaporizhzhia region, killing 17, injuring dozens

Ivan Fedorov, the head of the Regional Military Administration, reported the information.

According to him, during the night, Russia shelled the Zaporizhzhia district eight times, reportedly using FAB bombs. One of the strikes hit the correctional colony.

As a result of the shelling, 16 people were killed and 35 were injured.

In addition, the institution’s buildings were destroyed and nearby private houses were damaged.

Strike on the correctional colony in the Zaporizhzhia region: there are dead and wounded.

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, commenting on the shelling of the correctional colony in the Zaporizhzhia region, emphasized that people in places of detention do not lose their right to life and protection.

“This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and yet another proof of Russia’s war crimes,” Lubinets stressed.

Later, the Ministry of Justice clarified that 17 inmates were killed and another 42 were injured as a result of the Russian strike on the Bilenke Correctional Colony in the Zaporizhzhia region. Those who were seriously wounded have been hospitalized in Ministry of Health facilities. About 40 more people sustained injuries of varying severity, and one staff member of the facility received minor wounds (shrapnel injuries to the face). 

According to the ministry, about 50 officers from the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine have been deployed to maintain order at the facility. All those affected have received medical assistance and are under supervision in the medical unit, the duty unit, and other departments of the facility. The perimeter of the facility was not damaged, and there is no threat of escape, the ministry added.

Zelenskyy’s reaction

On the morning of July 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Russia’s strike on the correctional facility, emphasizing that the Russians carried it out deliberately.

“This was a deliberate, targeted, and not accidental strike. The Russians could not have been unaware that they were hitting civilians in this colony. Many were killed, another 43 people were wounded, and among them are individuals with very serious injuries,” he wrote.

“And this was done after the absolutely clear position of the United States was voiced, supported by the world, that Russia must end this war and move to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy recalled.

The President stressed that “Moscow deserves very tough, truly painful, and therefore fair and effective sanctions pressure.” In his view, Russia can only be forced to make peace through strength.

• Last night, enemy drones attacked Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, the Kyiv region, and Kropyvnytskyi. In total, more than 10 people were affected by the Russian attack.