Russians collect list of POWs, transfer them to another barracks before terrorist attack in Olenivka

She shared this information on Espreso TV. 

"We know from the testimonies of the exchanged servicemen who witnessed the terrorist attack in Olenivka and returned, who were in this barracks, that a few days before the attack, the Russians collected a list of prisoners of war. They were transferred to another barracks they had never been in, without giving any reason. There is evidence that the guys saw and know exactly where the explosives were placed and how it happened. That is, everything was planned and organized by the Russians," emphasized Homeriki.

Marianna Homeriki, co-founder of the Association of the Azovstal Defenders' Families, added that the Russians wanted to kill Ukrainian defenders so that they would not be exchanged.

"The Russians killed 53 people, but they intended to kill even more. They wanted to destroy the entire barracks," she emphasized. 

What is known about the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka

On July 29, 2022, Russia shelled the prison in Olenivka, Donetsk region, where Ukrainian prisoners were held, with artillery. The shelling killed about 40 people and injured 130 others. 

Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense invited experts from the UN and the Red Cross to the scene of the attack in Olenivka. However, it did not allow the representatives of the Human Rights Watch access to the site of the tragedy. 

The head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny, said that the atrocities committed by Russians against our prisoners of war are infuriating, and Ukraine will take revenge for every dead or injured person. The Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and intelligence demanded that the UN and the Red Cross come to the scene of the attack.

On July 30, 2022, Ukraine began the procedure for returning the bodies of those killed in the Olenivka terrorist attack. They managed to return 54 bodies.

In response to the Russian terrorist attack, the Verkhovna Rada called on the world to recognize Russia as a terrorist state and to strengthen sanctions in connection with the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was going to set up a mission to investigate the circumstances of the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka. It was established on August 23, 2022. 

On January 5, Guterres disbanded the mission to establish the circumstances of the deaths of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Later, the UN said that a mission to the colony in Olenivka was still possible.

On June 26, Lubinets said that there were still Ukrainian prisoners of war in the colony in Olenivka. 

July 7 Dmytro Lubinets informs that Ukraine has managed to identify most of the bodies of prisoners of war who died as a result of a Russian terrorist attack in the village of Olenivka in Donetsk region.

July 25 The UN denies Russia's claims that the attack on the colony in Olenivka was carried out with a HIMARS missile.