Antonio Guterres gives the green light to a mission to investigate the bombardment of this establishment which held Ukrainian prisoners.
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The UN Secretary General is to launch a fact-finding mission to shed light on the explosions that sounded in Olenivka prison last week. Antonio Guterres has announced that he will follow up on the “requests of the Russian Federation and Ukraine”during a press conference, Wednesday August 3, specifying however that he did not have the authority to lead “criminal investigations”.
The bombardment of the penitentiary had left dozens dead, in a pro-Russian separatist zone in eastern Ukraine and where Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner in Mariupol were detained. Moscow accuses kyiv of having bombarded this prison camp, which the Ukrainian authorities refute, who affirm on the contrary that these prisoners were massacred by Russian forces.
“The terms of reference for this fact-finding mission are being prepared”explained Antonio Guterres, hoping to be able to reach an agreement with Russia and Ukraine on their definition. “We hope to obtain all access facilities from both parties and obtaining the data necessary to establish the truth about what happened”he added, specifying that he was looking for the right people, “independent and competent”to integrate this mission.
The versions, at this point, are diametrically opposed. The Russian Investigative Committee accused Ukrainian forces of having “fired on the prison where the members of the Azov battalion are held, using American projectiles of the Himars system”. The Azov regiment distinguished itself in the defense of Mariupol, before surrendering in May to the Russian army after long weeks of siege and resistance on the Azovstal steel site.
But the Ukrainian general staff, for its part, considered that it was thus a question of“accusing Ukraine of committing war crimes” and of “cover up the torture of prisoners and the executions” who have been there “perpetrated”. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the attack “was carried out by mercenaries of the[Russian]Wagner Division” and “was not coordinated with management” of the Russian Defense Ministry.