What happened in the camp for Ukrainian captives in Olenivka. The Azov fighters shared their memories.

Memories of Azov fighters in Olenivka
Memories of Azov fighters in Olenivka

Ukrainian military personnel from the 'Azov' brigade shared their stories after 2.5 years of captivity in Russia. Their testimonies reveal the scale of crimes committed by the occupiers.

“Bunks were placed near the oil machines,” - "Frutti" on the terrorist act in Olenivka

A soldier from the 'Azov' brigade with the callsign 'Frutti' detailed the explosion of the barracks at the Olenivka colony near Donetsk, where dozens of captives died. He believes it was a deliberate terrorist act.

“I am sure it was an explosion. Because the work was interrupted precisely in those places where people were located. The guys who were there say that we were accommodated near the fire, and the guards left their posts. There were beds near the oil machines, the blast was inside, the roof was thrown inwards. It was a terrorist act.”

“They started fabricating the case against me in the hospital,” - "Paco"

Another soldier with the callsign 'Paco' shared how he agreed to a crime he did not commit.

“After the first interrogation regarding my case, - and they started fabricating the case against me in the hospital, - I told my friend that I did not want to give testimony about something I did not do. But he advised me: ‘Do we have an exit? We never do.’ And I decided to agree. For me, it was a key issue. When I was interrogated for the second Time, I stated that I would take the fall for the case.”

The video of the interview can be viewed below:

The soldier recalled how he was tortured and forced to admit guilt for a crime:

“You were taken into the torture room, and within two hours, they used electric shockers and various items. You were tortured and forced to confess to something or accuse someone else. They wanted you to confess, so if you withheld, it was seen as a release. They held brutal authority for a certain time, it depended on your status - officer or ordinary soldier. They encouraged either confessing or framing someone else, in the latter case, it was even better because you would be a witness.”

The soldier claims he was tortured until he was transferred to another colony:

“It continued until I was transferred to another colony. In Taganrog, I spent a year and four months. Their mood influenced the news broadcasted on television, so all the bad events that happened to their military were shifted onto us.”

“They needed to blame someone for Mariupol,” - "Snow" on torture

Another soldier with the callsign 'Snow' said the occupiers wanted to justify their crimes in Mariupol by shifting the responsibility onto 'Azov' and other units.

“The Russians needed to find guilty parties for the events in Mariupol. And who to blame? 'Azov' and other units. They wanted to fabricate evidence of destruction, civilian casualties that happened due to their actions.”

The soldier also spoke about the torture of Ukrainian defenders by the Russians.

“You were taken into the torture room, and for two hours, they used electric shockers and various items. You were tortured and forced to confess to something, or accuse someone else. They wanted you to confess, so if you withheld, it was seen as a release. They held brutal authority for a certain time, it depended on your status - officer or ordinary soldier. They encouraged either confessing or framing someone else, in the latter case, it was even better because you would be a witness.”

Russian media deny Russia's claims regarding the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka due to the Himars strike. The United Nations has also expressed doubts about this version.


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