Explosion was possibly designed to remove traces of homicide
Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations over a missile strike or explosion early on Friday that appeared to have killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the frontline town of Olenivka held by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Donetsk province.
The Russian Defense Ministry published a list of 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war killed and 73 wounded in what it said was a Ukrainian military strike with a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
The International Committee of the Red Cross ffered to help evacuate the wounded from Yelenovka and donate medicines, protective equipment and forensic materials. “All prisoners of war, wherever they are held, are protected by international humanitarian law, they are no longer considered combatants and should not be attacked,” the ICRC statement said.
The UN has announced its readiness to provide experts to investigate the shelling of the colony in Olenovka, Donetsk region. “In connection with the recent tragedy in prison in Olenivka, we are ready to send a group of experts capable of conducting an investigation that requires the consent of the parties, and we fully support the initiatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross,“ said the deputy official representative of the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq.
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenovka: “The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces and their proxies. These inhumane, barbaric acts represent severe breaches of the Geneva conventions and their Additional Protocol and amount to war crimes”.
The Azov regimen published the official statement of the acting commander Mykyta Nadtochia cu privire la Olenovka: “We regard the attack on Olenivka as an act of public execution. Russia committed it out of IMPUNITY. They are used to the fact that no one will hold them accountable even for open violations of laws, customs and rules of war.”
“That is why we - AZOV, Ukraine as a state and the entire civilized world - will painfully fight back so that Russia remembers this once and for all. We are already finding out the names of the executors and organizers of the execution of our prisoners”.
The Embassy of Russia in the UK posted on Twitter that” “Azov militants deserve execution, but death not by firing squad but by hanging, because they’re not real soldiers. They deserve a humiliating death.”
The Ukrainian military denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka. It accused the Russians of shelling the prison to cover up the alleged torture and execution of Ukrainians there.
New Maxar image from the Olenivka Prison where 50 PoWs were killed seems shows possible graves dug near the north wall. The possible graves appear to be open and recently dug on the 27th of July (2 days prior to the explosion) and covered on the 30th of July (1 day after). If these are graves, this is further evidence that this was a preplanned Russian war crime, seemingly prepared days in advance, said analyst Oliver Alexander and Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins.
With troops stuck in Ukraine, Putin wants to conquer whole world
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving an updated maritime doctrine that outlines the country's coastal borders and lists NATO and the United States as Russia's main threats.
The decree, signed during Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg on July 31, goes into effect immediately. The doctrine cited the activities and potential growth of the Western NATO military alliance, the United States' alleged desire to dominate the seas, and alleged claims on Russia's territory by a number of foreign states as the primary threats to the country's security.
Canada sees well what Russians do in Ukraine
Russian forces deployed in Ukraine are insufficient for Russia to replace the government in Kyiv, according to the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command.
“Currently, Russia’s deployed forces in Ukraine are insufficient for it to achieve its stated objective of replacing the government in Kyiv,” reads a tweet. “Russia will continue to struggle to make even modest tactical progress on the eastern and southern fronts."
At the same time, the Russian Federation no longer has sufficient reserves to replenish its group operating in Ukraine. "Almost all Russian Army units have been involved in combat in Ukraine. Russia has seen such high casualties across most of its Army units that it is struggling to even find untrained recruits to backfill deployed units,” the report reads.
Hydroelectric power station attacked, but not damaged
On the night of July 30, the Ukrainian military fired at a hydroelectric power station near Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. Russian air defense systems repulsed the attack, said the head of the district administration Vladimir Leontiev. According to him, the strikes were delivered from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.
He also reported that not only the station, but also the city itself was under fire. There was a fire near the village. The grass was on fire. Now the road at the entrance to the hydroelectric power station has been damaged, but the station itself remains intact and continues to operate normally.
“Russians”, once again after 1985
British musician Stin, who in 1985 disapproved of what was going on in the Soviet Union by the song “Russians”, interrupted a concert in Warsaw on Saturday evening to warn his audience that democracy is under attack worldwide and to denounce the war in Ukraine as “an absurdity based upon a lie.”
“The alternative to democracy is a prison, a prison of the mind. The alternative to democracy is violence, oppression, imprisonment and silence,” Sting said
