The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Ex-chief of Russian-run Olenivka prison allegedly killed in car bombing in occupied Donetsk

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 9, 2024 12:13 PM 2 min read
The aftermath of a car explosion in Russian-occupied Donetsk, Ukraine, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Russian Investigative Committee/Telegram)
This audio is created with AI assistance

A car exploded in Russian-occupied Donetsk on Dec. 9, seriously injuring two people inside, Russian state media reported.

The Russian Telegram channel Mash claimed that Serhii Yevsiukov, the former head of Russia's notorious Olenivka prisoner of war (POW) camp in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was killed in the blast.

The claims could not be independently verified as there has been no official confirmation that Yevsiukov was killed in the bombing. Ukraine did not comment on the incident.

Yevsiukov was wanted by Ukraine on murder, torture, and war crime charges. The Olenivka camp, notorious for the torture and abuse of Ukrainian captives, was hit by an explosion in June 2022, killing over 50 Ukrainian POWs and injuring more than 150. Kyiv called this a deliberate Russian war crime.

Russian state news agencies reported that a Toyota SUV exploded in central Donetsk, seriously injuring two people inside the vehicle who were also family members. The man's leg was torn off by the blast, RIA Novosti reported, without revealing his identity.

The explosion occurred on the side of the driver, the state news agency TASS reported.

The Mash Telegram channel later claimed that the man in question was Yevsiukov and that he was killed as a result. The second victim was said to be his wife, who is in a hospital in serious condition, Mash claimed.

Russia's Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into the explosion.

Yevsiukov was one of the key figures in the Kyiv Independent's investigation into the torture of captives in the Olenivka prison. He and his deputy, Dmytro Neiolov, were charged by Ukrainian prosecutors in July for violating laws of war.

Ukrainian authorities said that days before the explosion in the Olevnika prison, Russian occupation authorities singled out Ukrainian members of the Azov Regiment, who were captured in Mariupol and were awaiting a prisoner exchange, to a separate part of the prison building—the one that was destroyed.

The Prosecutor General's Office said that Russia likely used a thermobaric munition to strike the prison. Russia rejected the accusations and instead blamed the explosion on a Ukrainian HIMARS strike, an assertion rejected by the U.N.

News Feed

5:15 PM

Alexander Vindman: Trump repeats past US mistakes with Russia.

Alexander Vindman served as the director of European affairs for the United States National Security Council in 2018-2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration. The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Vindman to discuss how Washington has historically misjudged Russia, "succumbing to hopes and fears," and why there is no real prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia now.
12:24 PM

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF.

The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.