Photo: The Canadian Press Satellite photo of the Olenivka detention center in eastern Donetsk province. US officials believe Russia is working to fabricate evidence about last week’s deadly raid on prisons housing prisoners of war in a separatist region of eastern Ukraine. U.S. intelligence officials have found that Russia is trying to fabricate evidence to make it appear that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the July 29 attack on Olenivka prison that left 53 dead and dozens wounded, a U.S. official familiar with the findings told The Associated Press of intelligence services. Press on Wednesday. Russia claimed that Ukraine’s military used US-supplied rocket launchers to hit the prison in Olenivka, a settlement controlled by the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian military has denied launching any rocket or artillery attack on Olenivka. The intelligence arm of Ukraine’s defense ministry claimed in a statement on Wednesday that it has evidence that local Kremlin-backed separatists colluded with Russia’s FSB, the main successor agency to the KGB, and the Wagner mercenary group to mine the barracks before “using a flammable substance, which led to the rapid spread of fire in the room.” The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said classified information — which was recently downgraded — indicated that Russian officials may even field munitions from medium-range artillery missile systems, or HIMARS. evidence that US-supplied systems to Ukraine were used in the attack. Russia is expected to take action as it expects independent researchers and journalists to eventually gain access to Olenivka, the official added. Ukraine has effectively deployed HIMARS launchers, which launch medium-range rockets and can be moved quickly before Russia can target them with a response, and is seeking more launchers from the United States.
