Ukrainian authorities, nonetheless, denied any involvement and in flip accused Russian forces of finishing up the assault, which they described as a conflict crime.
In posts on Telegram, DPR spokesman Daniil Bezsonov referred to the casualties as “prisoners of Azovstal” — the metal plant in Mariupol that lastly fell to Russian forces after a protracted drawn-out siege. Unverified video shared on Telegram confirmed charred human stays within the burned-out shell of what was presupposed to be the jail.
Russia’s protection ministry framed the incident as “a bloody provocation” supposed to discourage Ukrainian troopers from surrendering.
The heads of Ukraine’s armed forces, nonetheless, accused Russian forces of finishing up “a focused artillery shelling of a correctional establishment within the settlement of Olenivka, Donetsk oblast, the place Ukrainian prisoners had been additionally held.”
“On this approach, the Russian occupiers pursued their prison targets — to accuse Ukraine of committing ‘conflict crimes’, in addition to to cover the torture of prisoners and executions which they carried on the market,” it stated in an announcement.
Ukrainian International Minister Dmytro Kuleba, writing on Twitter, accused Russia of committing a conflict crime and referred to as for condemnation from the worldwide group.
“I name on all companions to strongly condemn this brutal violation of worldwide humanitarian legislation and acknowledge Russia a terrorist state,” he stated.
Not one of the claims may very well be independently verified.
The troopers who lastly surrendered in Mariupol after spending months holed up within the metal works included an estimated 2,400 from Ukraine’s Azov Battalion and on Friday, Andrii Biletsky, described because the “founding father of Azov,” vowed revenge.
“I, on behalf of the Azov items, announce a hunt for everybody concerned within the mass homicide,” he stated on his Telegram channel. “Each rank-and-file performer and each organizer, no matter place and place of keep, will bear duty. Regardless of the place you cover, you can be discovered and exterminated.”
The Azov Battalion is amongst Ukraine’s most battle-hardened army items however has attracted controversy over its hyperlinks to far-right nationalist ideology. Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed his invasion of Ukraine as an try and “de-Nazify” the nation, partly referring to the Azov forces.
Robyn Dixon, Mary Ilyushina and David Stern contributed to this report.
