The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has renewed its requests to visit a Ukrainian site of an attack that resulted in the death of dozens of prisoners of war as the battle between Moscow and Kyiv continues.
In a statement, the Red Cross said that families must receive urgent news and answers on what happened to their loved ones. The committee argued that the parties must do everything in their power, including impartial investigations, to help determine the facts behind the attack.
Dozens of Prisoners of War Killed
The situation comes as Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations over the missile strike or explosion in the front-line town of Olenivka that killed prisoners held by Moscow-backed separatists. On Sunday, Russia invited United Nations and Red Cross experts to investigate the incident.
Moscow has also published a list of 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war killed and 73 others who were wounded in what is said was a Ukrainian military strike with a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as per Reuters.
On the other hand, Ukraine's armed forces have denied responsibility for the incident, arguing that Russian artillery attacked the prison to hide the mistreatment of prisoners. The ICRC, on top of seeking access to the area, also offered to help evacuate the wounded and donate supplies.
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It said that as of yet, they have received no official confirmation that granted them access to visit the site of the PoWs affected by the attack. They also said that to date, their offer of material assistance has not been accepted.
According to The Telegraph, despite the brutality of the war, Russia has continued to launch attacks on several Ukrainian cities, hitting a school and a bus station. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the ICRC and the United Nations have a duty to react to the shelling of the prison complex.
Request To Visit Site of Attack
The facility is located in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province and Zelensky called once again for Russia to be declared a terrorist state for its aggression. The official said that condemnation at the level of political rhetoric was not enough to address the mass murder that Russia has committed.
Satellite photos that were taken before and after the attack showed that a small, squarish building in the middle of the Olenivka prison complex was demolished, its rook in splinters. The ICRC said that it was requesting access to the site to "determine the health and condition of all the people present on-site at the time of the attack."
The committee also said that its priority now was to make sure that the wounded receive life-saving treatment and that the bodies of the dead are dealt with in a dignified manner. A think tank based in Washington, the Institute for the Study of War, said that the competing claims and limited information prevented assigning full responsibility for the attack.
"The occupiers' attack on Olenivka is a deliberate war crime by the Russians, a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war. There should be a clear legal recognition of Russia as a terrorist state. Russia has proven with numerous terrorist attacks that it is the biggest source of terrorism in today's world," Zelensky said, Business Insider reported.
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