UN investigation confirmed Russia's guilt in the Olenivka terrorist attack of 2022

The Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights Dmytro Lubenets stated the publication of an internal UN analysis, which confirmed Russia's guilt in the Olenivka terrorist attack of 2022.

'UN internal analysis: the murder in Olenivka is a carefully planned crime by the RF!' – wrote the ombudsman on social media on June 30, 2025.

On the night of July 28 to 29, 2022, at the Volnovakha correctional colony No. 120 in Olenivka, Russia committed a terrorist act. As a result of the explosion, more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war died, and about 130 were injured.

Investigation and obstacles

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN expressed their readiness to investigate the terrorist act, but five months later, the UN Mission to establish the facts about Olenivka was disbanded due to insufficient security guarantees.

Lubenets noted that he tried to pass materials to the participants of the UN Mission, but they refused to review them. He also suggested visiting the tragedy site together with the Russian Human Rights Commissioner but received a refusal.

UN experts’ conclusions

Recently, a group of UN experts published material with evidence that it was the RF that planned and carried out the attack. The document indicates the weapons and ammunition used by the Armed Forces of the RF during the attack on Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The report also examines the planning, organization, and execution of the murder, analyzing the investigation by Russia, Ukraine, and the UN.

'This is an important document that should provoke the continuation of the investigation. The pain for Olenivka remains unquenchable. We insist on an investigation and fair punishment for the guilty!' – emphasized Lubenets.

After conducting an internal analysis, the UN confirmed Russia's guilt in the terrorist attack in Olenivka in 2022. According to the data published by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubenets, Russia planned and committed the terrorist act that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Despite obstacles and refusals from Russia to cooperate in the investigation, the publication by UN experts contains evidence supporting the demand for justice and punishment for the guilty.