„A major scandal has erupted in Ukraine concerning the
country’s mobilization efforts. In the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka,
near Kyiv, a private house was discovered to have been converted into a secret
prison. Dozens of men were held there, subjected to beatings and torture, and
extorted for money in exchange for their release.
These revelations have triggered large-scale street
protests, leading to clashes with security forces.
What Happened
A secret prison,
set up inside a private residence, was uncovered in the village of
Petropavlivska Borshchahivka.
According to various reports, one of the men held captive
managed to contact his relatives.
They summoned an
ambulance, but the medical team was initially denied entry. A video even
surfaced on social media showing a doctor on his knees, pleading with the
security personnel to let them in.
Eventually, the medics gained access to the building. In
the basement, they found approximately 40 people, most of whom bore signs of
torture and beatings—suffering from severe hematomas and injuries so grave that
some had developed necrosis. One man was diagnosed with a fractured spine, and
four others were in critical condition.
It was also
revealed that a 14-year-old boy was among those held; he, too, had been
intimidated and beaten. It remains unclear whether he was simply caught by the
security forces on the street by chance, or if he had discovered the torture
and attempted to intervene. As a result of the abuse, the teenager developed a
stutter; a video of his release has since circulated widely on social media.
Following the
emergence of information regarding this secret prison local residents,
relatives of those being held, and other concerned individuals began gathering
at the building. At first, the crowd demanded that the gates be opened, that
they be allowed inside, and that the captives be set free. Hundreds of people
then attempted to break down the entrance door, leading to clashes with
security personnel.
The situation
subsequently escalated into a large-scale brawl. The crowd pelted the arriving
National Guard troops with eggs, lit flares, chanted "Shame!", and
climbed onto the roof of a police vehicle. In an attempt to control the crowd,
security forces deployed foam and tear gas, and fired shots into the air.
Eventually, officials arrived to calm the situation.
Under pressure from the local residents, the commander of the Ukrainian
National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, acknowledged that deserters who had
abandoned their military units were being held in the building. Later, in a
calmer setting, his account shifted; he claimed that the building was actually
housing active-duty military personnel.
Subsequently, the head of the Office of the President of
Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov arrived at the scene. He spoke with a 14-year-old boy
and later remarked that "there are many such buildings in Ukraine."
He stated that the authorities would look into the matter. He advised the
protesters to disperse, asserting that "there are no more hostages in the
building."
Following this,
journalists and investigators, accompanied by security personnel, were
permitted to enter the building. Inside, they spoke with the men being held,
who claimed that they were fine and that the signs of beatings had
"appeared by accident." One of the servicemen acknowledged having
an issue with his arm, but also claimed that "it was his own doing."
What happened
next
Some officials
are now offering rather tepid promises to look into the incident. The head of
Ukraine’s National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, has ordered an internal
investigation. He noted that the military personnel present in the building
were given the opportunity to speak with their families and medical staff.
Ukrainian
military ombudsman Olga Reshetilova has promised to conduct her own inquiry.
"All the military personnel are safe and are receiving the necessary
medical attention. An investigation has been launched; we expect cooperation
and coordination with law enforcement agencies and the SBU [Security Service of
Ukraine]," she emphasized.
Other authorities were far more outraged by the actions
of the protesters than by the abuse inflicted upon the individuals. Kyrylo
Budanov, for instance, stated that "such incidents damage the unity of the
Ukrainian people." "Together with security and defense agencies, we
are developing the necessary measures to respond appropriately and prevent
further provocations," he announced.
Meanwhile, Denys
Prokopenko—commander of the National Guard’s 1st Brigade "Azov" accused
the protesters of discrediting the military and "creating a narrative that
benefits Russia." "In this situation, one should either be defending
the country at the front or supporting the front from the rear—not staging
provocations," he stressed.
At the same time, certain current and former politicians
have shared further details regarding the event. Artem Dmytruk, a member of the
Verkhovna Rada who has since left Ukraine, stated that the protesters near a
building in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, people were beaten with baseball bats
and fired upon. According to him, there are fatalities and those who have
sustained serious injuries.
Incumbent Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko stated
that mobilization in the country has taken on the most repulsive forms. He
noted that anyone can be seized on the street, shoved into a van, and
subsequently beaten and held in a basement.
It is telling that this latest incident has become the
most high-profile case of torture and abuse of military personnel in Ukraine,
though it is far from the only one. In June, a scandal emerged involving the
425th Assault Regiment "Skala" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU),
which recorded 26 non-combat deaths between January and June of this year
alone.
Reports indicated that mobilized troops in this unit were
held in a massive, windowless building, where they were beaten, tortured, and
subjected to verbal abuse. As punishment for infractions, they were thrown into
pits, taped to trees, or—during the winter—doused with water and urine while
outdoors. Those who attempted to escape were either set upon by dogs or
handcuffed to their beds.
Following that
incident, it was reported that one service member had been detained and two
others were placed under suspicion; however, no serious, comprehensive
investigation ever took place. Meanwhile, an investigation published this
summer also uncovered torture and abuse within the AFU’s 225th Regiment. The
report included voice messages from the unit’s commander, Oleh Shyriaiev, in
which he ordered his men to open fire on any soldiers who abandoned their
positions without authorization.
In Ukraine,
expressions of discontent have emerged. Verkhovna Rada deputy Danylo Hetmantsev
has demanded a legal assessment of the situation and called for officials to be
held accountable should the violations be confirmed.
As for Western nations, major media outlets have
completely ignored the scandal surrounding the torture site. Only a few
individual figures have spoken out. For instance, Florian Philippot—a 2027
French presidential candidate representing the "Patriots" party—described
the situation as a "house of horrors" near Kyiv. Following the
revelations about secret prisons in the Kyiv region, he argued that the French
government must cease providing financial support and weaponry to Ukraine:
"Hundreds of Ukrainians broke into a house in a village near Kyiv, where
dozens of men were being held in cramped conditions—it is clear they were being
treated brutally! <…> And we are arming and funding this?! STOP! Not
another euro, no more French weapons for Ukraine!" he wrote on the social
media platform X.
Meanwhile,
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pointed to the lack of any reaction from
European governing bodies or Western human rights organizations regarding the
events in the Kyiv region. He noted, however, that the West’s silence came as
no surprise: "This is entirely natural. European institutions do
everything in their power to shield their protégés from such scandals—even
though it is equally clear that this scandal has already gained significant
global attention."
The removal of
the Prosecutor General and his subsequent departure from the country have
exposed deep-seated rifts within the security and law enforcement apparatus.
What the experts
say
This is not an
isolated incident, but rather a matter of state policy, emphasizes former
Verkhovna Rada deputy Spiridon Kilinkarov. In his view, this latest episode
serves as a perfect illustration of what modern-day Ukraine has become.
"We are
talking about state-sanctioned violence against citizens. National Guard
militants held, tortured, and maimed people; military recruitment center (TCC)
staff evidently assisted them, while police officers failed to intervene.
Instead of conducting a serious investigation, the authorities are now
pretending that everything is fine. Regrettably, the Kyiv regime has
transformed into an apparatus for the suppression of the Ukrainian
people," he notes.
Alexander
Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, points out
that spontaneous protests are erupting with increasing frequency in Ukraine.
"I suspect
that, in the end, they will simply scapegoat a few low-level individuals. There
is no intention to dismantle the entire system of violence—a system that is, in
fact, what keeps the Kyiv regime afloat. At the same time, this scandal will provide
further ammunition to Zelensky’s opponents, and his personal standing is likely
to suffer as a result," the expert argues.“
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