Explosion in Donetsk Kills Ex-Olenivka Prison Boss Yevsyukov, Known for 2022 Attack on Ukrainian POWs

In the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, a Toyota SUV was blown up, reportedly carrying Sergey Yevsyukov, the former head of the Olenivka prison known for the 2022 terrorist attack on Ukrainian prisoners of war, and his wife, Russian media reported on Monday, Dec 9.

Russian media showed a video from the explosion site, where the damaged vehicle is visible. The driver’s seat was the most affected. The video also shows several people trying to assist the driver. The Russian Investigative Committee reported two people were injured in the car blast.

According to Russian Telegram channels, Yevsyukov died, and his wife is in critical condition in the hospital, with her leg amputated. Plastic explosive – about 100 grams in TNT equivalent –was planted under the Toyota Land Cruiser. The explosion occurred as the man and woman got into the car.

Russian propaganda media reported that “a $21,000 reward was offered on Ukrainian websites for Yevsyukov’s head, who became a victim of the explosion in Donetsk.”

Some Telegram channels claim that the explosion was the work of Ukrainian special forces. Kyiv Post reached out to Ukrainian authorities for further comments, but they replied that “the information is still being clarified.”

Kyiv Post could not independently verify the information.

The Olenivka prison is in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region and is notorious for the terrorist attack on Ukrainian prisoners of war in July 2022, which killed over 50 detainees, most of whom were defenders of Azovstal. Russia blamed Ukraine, but independent experts and Ukrainian authorities called it a deliberate war crime by Russia.

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Russian propaganda claimed the prisoners supposedly died from a Ukrainian HIMARS missile strike.

The incident sparked international condemnation and calls for an independent investigation, but access to the site of the tragedy remains restricted. At the prison, Russian authorities held 193 prisoners, including defenders of Mariupol.

In July, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that they had charged two collaborators who oversaw the Olenivka prison during the 2022 attack. These were Sergey Yevsyukov, the former head of the “Volnovakha Colony” in the DPR, and his deputy Dmitry Neyolov.

According to the investigation, both were aware of the explosions and casualties but deliberately delayed the evacuation of the injured.

SBU investigators gathered evidence and informed Yevsyukov and Neyolov of charges under the Ukrainian Criminal Code for cruel treatment of prisoners of war and premeditated murder by prior conspiracy.