President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the anniversary of the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the night of July 28-29, 2022, in the occupiers' colony in Olenivka, reminded of the importance of returning all Ukrainians from captivity.
"We must return all our people from Russian captivity – military and civilians. It is important that Ukraine is not alone in this effort, and our friends in the world are helping us with mediation. During the full-scale war, we have already managed to return 9,613 people from Russian captivity. We remember everyone who still remains in captivity," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
He stated that no crime against Ukrainians will be forgotten.
"Every year on these days in Ukraine, we honor the memory of our people killed in Russian captivity. On the night of July 28 to 29, the Russians killed our people in Olenivka – brutally, meanly, absolutely cynically. More than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, over 100 were injured. And this is one of those war crimes that demonstrates what Russia truly is. This is a state that disregards life 100 percent, an absolute evil that cannot refrain from killing. We must always remember who we are dealing with," Zelenskyy emphasized.
As reported, on the night of July 28-29, 2022, Russian troops committed one of the most horrific terrorist acts in the modern history of Ukraine – an explosion in Penal Colony No. 120 in the village of Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. As a result of the attack, which destroyed the barracks housing Ukrainian prisoners of war, at least 53 defenders of Mariupol were killed and over 130 were injured. Most of them were heroes of "Azovstal" who, following orders of the high command, left the encirclement in hopes of preserving their lives under international guarantees. However, instead of protection, they met death.
On July 28, Ukraine commemorates an important anniversary – the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, members of volunteer formations, and civilians who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity. This day was established by the Verkhovna Rada by resolution No. 4558-IX on July 22, 2025, in response to a public initiative and as a national duty to honor the heroes who became victims of cruel captivity and war crimes committed by the Russian Federation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement on the anniversary of the tragedy, emphasizing that the terrorist act in Olenivka was a deliberate, targeted, and barbaric crime by the Russian Federation in violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949. "The mass murder of prisoners, torture, ill-treatment, and inhumane conditions of detention are grave violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes for which those responsible must face inevitable punishment," the statement reads.
On Friday, July 31, at 19.00 in Kyiv, a protest march for dialogue and reform in the defense sector is planned. The march will start at the Shevchenko Monument in Shevchenko Park and finish at Ivan Franko Square.
