Requesting the United States to recognise Moscow as a state sponsor of terrorism, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday condemned the deaths of dozens of prisoners in a Russian-held jail.
Calling the shelling of the prison a “deliberate Russian war crime”, Zelensky said 50 Ukrainian prisoners were killed in it.
In a late-night video address, he said “I am appealing especially to the United States of America. A decision is needed and it is needed now.”
Saying dozens of people died and scores were wounded, Russia and Moscow-backed separatists had earlier accused Kyiv’s forces of striking the jail by using US-supplied precision High Mobility Artillery Rocket System rockets.
Sending a team to the site from Russia’s main criminal investigation agency, Moscow opened a probe into the attack.
Suggesting that Ukraine decided to strike the prison to prevent captives from revealing key military information, Eduard Basurin, the deputy commander of the Donetsk separatist forces also blamed Kyiv for the attack.
Denying allegations, Zelensky said Ukraine has never targeted civilian infrastructure or prisoners of war.
Showing blurred images of what looked like human bodies, Russian state media broadcasted footage displaying what appeared to be destroyed barracks and tangled metal beds.
Ukrainian prisoners of war captured by Russia in the Donetsk region included those who defended the Azovstal plant in the port city of Mariupol as per the Kremlin.
Former paramilitary unit Azov battalion has previously been linked to far-right groups and neo-Nazi organisations by the Russian defence ministry.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos, and videos.
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