Russia, Ukraine trade blame for shelling of POW prison

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By SUSIE BLANN

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine on Friday accused each other of shelling a prison in a separatist eastern region that reportedly killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were captured after the fall of Mariupol in May.

Russia said that Ukraine used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers in the attack on the prison in Olenivka, in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region. Officials from Russia and the separatist authorities in Donetsk said the attack killed 53 Ukrainian POWs and wounded 75.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov described the strike as a “bloody provocation” aimed at discouraging Ukrainian soldiers from surrendering. He said that eight prison guards were also wounded by the shelling.

The Ukrainian military denied any rocket or artillery strikes on Olenivka, insisting that it wasn’t shelling civilian areas and only strikes Russian military targets.



FILE - Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol during shelling, in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 7, 2022. Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine say that at least 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war captured during the fighting for Mariupol have been killed by Ukrainian shelling. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donetsk-prisoners-of-war-30e2e205bab0081c576b944baae82a61

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[mitch96]

1. Humm lets look at the history.. Russian Propaganda lies and HIMARS is very very accurate...

I call bullshit on the russians. They wanted to kill Ukrainian POWS and use it for political purpose's. This is similar to other atrocities they have committed YMMV
m

[Lovie777]

2. I believe Ukraine over Russia any day . . .

Russians are killers and torturers, mutilating Ukraine citizens and prisoners (castrations, raping, body mutilation).

Hitler all over again

[Ford_Prefect]

3. Dead POWs cannot tell anyone what they saw, or what the Russians did to them.

The Ukrainian military denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka, and accused the Russians of shelling the prison to cover up the alleged torture and execution of Ukrainians there. An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the shelling as a “a deliberate, cynical, calculated mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners.”

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Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called for a “strict investigation” into the deadly attack and urged the United Nations and other international organizations to condemn it. He said the Russians had transferred some Ukrainian prisoners to the barrack that was hit just a few days before the strike, suggesting that it was planned.

“The purpose — to discredit Ukraine in front of our partners and disrupt weapons supply,” he tweeted.

[TomSlick]

4. I recommend the linked analysis.

[link:

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I follow this guy. He has extensive military experience and knowledge. He's also quite bright.