France voices horror on Olenivka attack that killed 53, avers 'crime cannot go unpunished'

As the ruthless Russian-Ukraine war continues unabated in Eastern Europe, France expressed its horror at the reports of deaths and acts of torture against Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Olenivka detention facility, which is monitored by the Russian Federation. According to a statement from France Diplomacy, if this information proves to be accurate, individuals who committed these egregious crimes that are against international humanitarian law will be held accountable. 

Furthermore, the statement reads that France has been actively collaborating with the Ukrainian justice system as well as the International Criminal Court since war crimes cannot go unpunished. 

These remarks came at a time when officials from Ukraine and Russia held each other responsible for the killings of scores of Ukrainian POWs who were killed in an attack on a jail in a separatist-controlled region on Saturday. According to the Associated Press report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and United Nations have a responsibility to respond after the jail complex in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region was shelled. 

In addition to this, the International Red Cross requested to visit the jail to ensure that the numerous wounded POWs have been receiving the correct care, but they said their request had not yet been granted. 

Zelesnkyy's remarks on Olenivka attack

According to separatist leaders and Russian officials, the attack took the lives of 53 Ukrainian POWs and 75 people injured. In a list published on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry listed 48 Ukrainian fighters who perished in the strike, ranging in age from 20 to 62. However, it was unclear if the ministry had updated its death toll. 

Embattled President Zelenskyy further stated in a video speech, “It was a deliberate Russian war crime, a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” as per media reports. He also urged Kyiv's closest ally, the United States, to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. He concluded by calling the Biden administration to take immediate action to stop the aggressor from committing more war crimes. 

“There should be a clear legal recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism,” citing Zelenskyy, Associated Press reported. Besides this, the Ukrainian President even noted, “Russia has proven with numerous terrorist attacks that it is the biggest source of terrorism in the world today. It's a fact".  

Meanwhile, Russia claimed that the jail in Olenivka, a settlement under the control of the Moscow-backed Donetsk People's Republic, was attacked by Ukrainian forces using precision rocket launchers provided by the United States. The military of Ukraine, however, has denied the launching of any artillery or missile attacks on Olenivka. In order to hide the alleged torture and execution of Ukrainian inmates there, it claimed that the Russians shelled the facility. 

(Image: AP)