Zelenskyy described the attack as one of Russia's 'most vile and cruel crimes' in a video statement Saturday. A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings, but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying that the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities.

The memorial marks the one-year anniversary of the Olenivka prison attack, when dozens of Ukrainian soldiers died during an attack of Olenivka in the eastern Donetsk region during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainians hold lights during a memorial event in front of the closed Russian Embassy on Jin Kyiv, Ukraine. Zelenskyy noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed. Zelenskyy on Saturday traveled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed, but only partially occupies, and met with members of the country's Special Operation Forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Saturday that the move 'is a sign of something that has been happening for centuries' and that 'has to do with the relations between the Catholic church and the Orthodox one.'

Public holidays in ukraine 2020