Key Points and Summary – A Russian airstrike has killed 16 inmates and injured over 80 at a Ukrainian prison near Zaporizhzhia, an attack Kyiv is calling a “gross violation of international humanitarian law.”
-Guided aerial bombs reportedly destroyed the prison’s dining hall.
-The brutal strike on a civilian detention facility came as part of a wider barrage that also killed a pregnant woman at a medical facility.
-The attacks occurred shortly after President Trump shortened his peace ultimatum to Russia, prompting a grim response from President Zelenskyy: “In just one day… the Russian army killed 22 people.”
16 Dead as Russia Bombs Ukrainian Prison
A Russian airstrike on a Ukrainian prison has left 16 inmates dead and more than 80 people injured.
16 Dead in Attack
The strike on Bilenkivska Correctional Colony, some 20km from the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, was near midnight on July 28.
Ukraine says guided aerial bombs were dropped on the site, reducing its dining hall to rubble. No prisoners escaped, but the human toll was severe: 16 dead, 44 taken to the hospital, and dozens more treated on-site for injuries.
“The perimeter of the institution was not damaged; there is no threat of escape,” Ukraine’s State Criminal-Executive Service said in a statement.
‘Not Just Another Strike’
But to many in Ukraine, this wasn’t just another strike, it was a symbol of how far Russia’s war has descended into lawlessness.
“This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and another proof of Russia’s war crimes,” said Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. “People held in detention don’t lose their right to life and protection.”
The Zaporizhzhia region, part of which has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022, is no stranger to attacks.
But bombing a correctional facility, a place whose very purpose is to enforce civil order, struck many as especially grotesque.
Russian officials have not commented.
The prison strike wasn’t the only deadly assault that night. In Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, two people were killed and five wounded when a medical facility was hit. One victim, a pregnant woman, is now in serious condition. In another village, two elderly civilians were killed. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 32 out of 37 Shahed drones used in the overnight attacks, alongside Iskander-M ballistic missiles and a decoy UAV.
Trump Shortens Russia’s Deadline
These attacks came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new ultimatum to Russia: 10–12 days to show meaningful progress toward ending the war, shortening a 50-day deadline he’d set earlier this month.
The Kremlin lashed out, with former President Dmitry Medvedev calling it a step toward war, not with Ukraine, but with the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded grimly: “In just one day — when people hoped the killing might stop — the Russian army killed 22 people.”
The Bilenke prison may not have been a battlefield, but it now stands as another scar on Ukraine’s landscape, and another piece of evidence in what Kyiv hopes will one day be a courtroom.
Whether that courtroom is in The Hague or history remains to be seen.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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