Defenders of Mariupol are Still in the Hell of Olenivka. The Story of the Wife of a Prisoner of War

The defenders of Mariupol are an example of courage, dedication, incredible strength, and a desperate desire to fight, no matter how difficult it is. For more than 80 days, they defended the city in a complete encirclement.

From May 16 to 20, 2022, following the order of the country’s top military leadership, the Mariupol garrison left the Azovstal plant. And after the two months of captivity, the Russians committed a cruel and cynical terrorist act – on the night of July 28–29, they blew up the prisoners of war, who the day before were transferred to a hangar hastily arranged for a residential barracks.

On July 27, the Russians transferred 193 defenders of Mariupol to this barracks. Some prisoners of war thought that they would be taken to exchange. They expected this and dreamed that they would soon see and hug their relatives. Unfortunately, a significant part of them will never be able to do this. According to Russian lists, as a result of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, more than 50 prisoners of war died, at least 70 were wounded. Currently, it is known that about 130 people who miraculously managed to survive in the hell of Olenivka still remain in captivity. The final facts about the dead and everyone who survived the terrorist attack are still being established.

One of those who survived and was wounded in Olenivka is my husband Serhii Alieksieievych, a soldier of the Azov regiment, who defended the city of Mariupol together with his comrades from February 24 to May 16, 2022. During the battles in Mariupol, he did not tell anything, only constantly asked me not to worry about him, to protect myself and to believe in the best. That’s what I did – I didn’t text him about how much I was worried, I tried to express my support so that he understood that I was waiting for him, and we would definitely be together soon.

Before the full-scale invasion of Russia, we lived together for four years. We got married when Serhii was in Mariupol, on April 27, 2022. He proposed to get married remotely a week before. Of course, I agreed, because we had planned a wedding before. Serhii did not even tell me about his wound, which he received during the fighting in Mariupol. I learned about it from the military unit only after he was captured. Serhii was wounded a second time as a result of a terrorist attack in Olenivka. Despite this, he is still being held captive, although the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War stipulates that wounded soldiers must be returned to their homeland without any conditions and in any number. In addition, as I was assured by the representatives of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the wounded are a priority for exchange. But the fight for his life and freedom continues.

When the capture from Azovstal took place, I could not believe for a long time that it was really a capture and that our relatives would end up in the hands of the enemies with whom they fought for so long. Only after seeing a video with my husband on the Russian news on May 19, I finally realized: this is captivity. ICRC representatives were also on the video, but as it became known later, they did not talk to the prisoners of war. They only minimally checked the conditions of detention and left.

I have repeatedly appealed to all state authorities regarding the husband — to the National Information Bureau, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the ICRC and the UN Working Group. The answers would always be the same: “We are working, please wait.” Currently, I do not know anything about the whereabouts of my husband and his health condition.

We all understood that you can expect anything from the Russians. But to organize a mass execution of prisoners of war is a flagrant case. However, only we, the relatives of the fighters affected by the terrorist attack, understand this. International organizations are powerless — for more than 11 months, they have been unable to gain access to the Olenivka detention center and wounded prisoners of war; did not provide them with medical care, although they assured me and other families that they would do everything possible. The mission to investigate the facts of the killing of prisoners of war was disbanded on January 5, 2023. It was then that we decided to unite and create a community of Olenivka families.

Its goal is the primary return of all defenders – survivors of the terrorist attack who are still in captivity, a worthy tribute to the fallen fighters, as well as the resumption of the investigation of the terrorist attack.

We participated in a number of meetings with state bodies of Ukraine, as well as with international organizations. For now, all our questions remain open. The initiative group of Olenivka families visited the ICRC and UN headquarters in Geneva on a working visit in May. At these meetings, we learned that not all the defenders who left Azovstal were interviewed, so a large part of the prisoners of war still remains unconfirmed, although according to the previous agreements regarding the exit from Azovstal, everyone’s exit should have been recorded. Regarding the investigation, we learned that Ukraine did not submit a request to the UN mission to examine the bodies that were exchanged on October 11, 2023. We do not understand why this happened. But how can we prove at the international level that it was a Russian terrorist attack, if international organizations do not participate in the investigation?

The situation with the wounded defenders is critical. Various representatives of the authorities tell us that there are other prisoners who have more serious injuries than those who were blown up in Olenivka. But how can they have detailed information about the nature of the injuries as a result of the terrorist attack, if they don’t even have all the information about the people who were there? In addition, it must be understood this was a planned killing of prisoners of war, we do not know what the purpose was, how many people they wanted to kill and who exactly. We must all understand that these people continue to be in danger and do everything we can to get them out of captivity as soon as possible. Because the terrorist attack was planned.

The planned nature of this crime is evidenced by a lot of documented evidence: in particular, the deliberate transfer of fighters to a new premises shortly before the explosion; analysis of the nature of damage and movement of the blast wave; interception of telephone conversations of representatives of the Russian Federation; absence of shelling in the said place, etc. The report of Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, contains some facts that should be submitted to the International Criminal Court. They should also be considered by international organizations in order to resume the investigation of the mass murder and mutilation of Ukrainian soldiers in captivity of the Russian Federation.

In particular, the Office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented: on July 27, 193 prisoners of war were transferred to a barrack that was remade into a residential building from an industrial hangar. Meanwhile, the detention center leadership ordered to move the guard post further from this barrack and to dig a fortified trench for protection, which was not done for other barracks in this detention center. On July 28, barrack guards put on body armor and protective helmets, which they had not done before. Prisoners of war from other barracks testify that the Grad missile system, located near their barracks and near the fence of the detention center before the incident itself, fired in the western direction from the detention center and covered the sounds of the explosions, which killed and wounded prisoners of war in the barracks. On July 29, a Ukrainian civilian prisoner who had connections with the  administration of the detention center ordered the prisoners of war to clear the rubble and remove the bodies of the dead, but to keep silent about what they saw.

OHCHR also found that the number of prisoners of war who died as a result of the explosion would have been much lower if the seriously injured had received emergency medical care. Those who survived the attack suffered multiple injuries, including burns and shrapnel wounds from shells and the barrack itself. However, the detention center workers did not provide medical aid, so the surviving prisoners of war did what they could to stop the bleeding without proper medical equipment. That is why several wounded died on the ground near the entrance to the detention center due to blood loss.

Only five to seven hours after the explosion, the surviving prisoners of war were taken to a hospital in Donetsk. The wounded were transported in overcrowded trucks on bumpy roads, which caused them additional suffering. Those of them who received minor injuries were placed in so-called disciplinary isolation cells for a month. There they were not able to communicate with other prisoners of war in the detention center.

But, despite the documented facts, on January 5, 2023, the UN disbanded the mission investigating the murder of prisoners of war — due to the impossibility of getting to the scene of the crime and the lack of security guarantees.

Among the injured there are also those who have been injured for the second or third time. Many of them were wounded during the defense of Mariupol. They have been in captivity for over a year without medical care. It’s hard for me to even imagine the state my husband is in. His two legs are affected, I don’t know how he walks. I don’t know if his wounds have healed at all. The Russians have already caused irreparable damage to the health of our military. After returning, they will need long-term rehabilitation, but not everyone will be able to recover their health anyway.

There is almost no information about the prisoners of war who survived the terrorist attack. We are trying to find it ourselves, but our possibilities are very limited. We can only view news in Russian Telegram channels. It is psychologically difficult. Everyone is afraid to see their loved ones exhausted, but they also want to see them, because it will at least be a confirmation that they are alive and holding on.

About 1,900 defenders of Mariupol, who left Azovstal on orders, are still in captivity. That is, it was possible to exchange only about 500 defenders during the year. Before being captured, they were promised certain guarantees, for example, three or four months of captivity, preservation of life and health, contact with relatives. However, the Russians constantly violate the norms of international humanitarian law.

We must remember the terrorist attack in Olenivka and not stay silent for the international community to pay attention to Russia’s crimes against prisoners of war, inhumane treatment in places of detention, murder, and torture. If we succeed in returning these people, as well as reopening the investigation of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, we will show the whole world that the most valuable thing for us is human life, and that we are ready to fight against Russia at all levels to restore justice.