Day 160 of the Invasion of Ukraine: The Killing of the Prisoners of War in Olenivka was the Work of Russia

World » UKRAINE | August 2, 2022, Tuesday // 12:44
Bulgaria: Day 160 of the Invasion of Ukraine: The Killing of the Prisoners of War in Olenivka was the Work of Russia @japantimes.co.jp

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The killing of the prisoners of war in Olenivka was the work of Russia, announced the Institute for the Study of War

Responsibility for the killing of 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the July 29 explosion at the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison rests with Russian forces. That's according to a report by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Experts draw attention to the Kremlin's lie that Ukraine itself is to blame for the murder of the prisoners.

"Satellite and other images of the site show that only one building was damaged as a result of the attack, the walls of that building were not destroyed, and there are no shell craters around, strongly indicating that the destruction of the prison was as a result of or a targeted strike, or of incendiary or explosive substances placed inside," say the analysts quoted by UNIAN.

If Ukraine had used something else, and not HIMARS, for the strike, the attack almost certainly would have left collateral damage around the facility, including craters and other damaged buildings. ISW quoted a US official as telling Politico that "the evidence shows that the attack was not carried out by Kyiv."

Given the US assessment that HIMARS were not used in the attack, ISW believes that Russia is responsible for this attack on Ukrainian prisoners of war in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on the night of July 29, an explosion occurred on the territory of the former prison in the town of Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region. As a result, the building that housed Ukrainian prisoners of war taken out of Azovstal was destroyed.

Immediately after the explosion, Russia accused the armed forces of Ukraine of shelling the prison. The Russian side announced more than 50 dead defenders of Ukraine, while the number of wounded was unknown. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have determined the explosion in Elenovka to be a Russian terrorist act aimed at covering up war crimes, discrediting Ukraine's armed forces and cutting off arms supplies. Kyiv is demanding that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross immediately respond to the terrorist attack and send an inspection mission to the ground.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the attack was carried out by mercenaries from PMC "Wagner" on the personal instructions of the nominal owner of the private army Yevgeny Prigozhin. In connection with the terrorist attack in Olenivka, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted the need for a clear legal recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Kyiv expects military equipment from Greece

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Kyiv expects Athens to send military equipment - armored personnel carriers for the Ukrainian armed forces, after reaching a corresponding agreement with Germany.

In an extensive interview with Greek state broadcaster ERT, Kuleba thanked Athens for the humanitarian and military aid provided so far.

However, he noted that there are no forces in his homeland that are hostile to Greece, while in Athens there are politicians who support Russia's aggression.

"We are friendly countries and there is no backstage in our relations", emphasized Kuleba and thanked the Greek government for supporting all the decisions of the European Union against Russia.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister invited the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to visit Ukraine.

US accuses Russia of using Ukrainian NPP as 'nuclear shield'

The United States has accused Russia of using Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant as a "nuclear shield" by stationing troops there, preventing Ukrainian forces from returning fire and risking a catastrophic nuclear accident.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was "deeply concerned" that the Zaporizhzhia facility, which Russia was accused of firing dangerously close to the reactors in March, had now been turned into a Russian military base used to fire on nearby Ukrainian forces.

"Of course, the Ukrainians cannot fire back to prevent a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant," Blinken told reporters after talks on nuclear non-proliferation at the United Nations in New York on Monday.

Russia's actions went beyond using a "human shield," Blinken said, calling it a "nuclear shield."

"This is the height of irresponsibility. It is critical that the IAEA gain access to understand what is going on at these facilities and to ensure that they continue to be used in ways that comply with all necessary safety and security commitments at the facilities", he added.

During the talks in New York, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said "robust joint action is needed to prevent a nuclear catastrophe" and called on the international community to "close the skies" over Ukraine's nuclear power plants with anti-aircraft defense systems defense.

The richest Russians have lost more than 60 billion dollars since the beginning of the year

The wealth of Russia's richest businessmen has shrunk by .25 billion since the beginning of 2002. The chairman of the board of directors of "Severstal" Alexey Mordashov, whose fortune as of August 1, 2022 decreased by $ 8.2 billion to $ 20.6 billion, heads the list of the most impoverished Russian billionaires, TASS reported, citing Bloomberg.

According to data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, since the beginning of the year, the CEO of Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson, has lost .73 billion and his fortune has decreased to .7 billion, and the chairman of the board of directors of NLMK Vladimir Lisin has decreased wealth of 5.5 billion dollars to 22.5 billion dollars.

The owner of the Metalloinvest holding Alisher Usmanov is also on the list of the richest Russian entrepreneurs whose fortunes have shrunk. He has lost 4 million since the beginning of the year, and his fortune is worth .4 billion. The former president of Lukoil, Vagit Alekperov, lost .92 billion after his fortune was estimated at .8 billion at the beginning of 2022.

Bloomberg has been publishing the "Billionaires Index" since March 2012, which includes data on the 500 richest people on the planet, TASS, quoted by BTA, recalls.

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