Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has identified roughly 100 people it says actively took part in the unrest that erupted on Monday outside a National Guard building in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a suburb of the capital, Kyiv. Investigators believe the confrontation was deliberately staged to abduct a serviceman who had left his unit without authorization and was being held at the facility.
Deputy SBU chief Ivan Rudnytskyi said on Tuesday that searches were underway at the homes of some of the identified individuals and that authorities were weighing detentions and criminal charges. At least one woman has already been detained, he added.
Viral allegations and a 'house of horrors'
The trouble began after social media posts claimed that dozens of men were being held against their will in the basement of a private house in the suburb, with some describing the building as a “house of horrors” and alleging that servicemen were being tortured inside. The claims spread quickly online, drawing a crowd of around 100 people to the scene, according to Suspilne, Ukraine's public broadcaster.
It later emerged that the building was being used to accommodate National Guard servicemen, including those who had returned after going AWOL. The confrontation escalated into clashes with law enforcement, with shots heard and police vehicles damaged, according to Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation.
Senior officials, including National Guard commander Oleksandr Pivnenko and Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov, arrived at the scene on Monday evening. Budanov said on Tuesday that it was “already reliably known that yesterday's events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka did not occur without influence.” He added that “the specific individuals and initiators of these events will undoubtedly be identified and punished,” and confirmed that the Prosecutor General's Office and other authorities had launched an investigation.
The ambulance question
A woman who arrived in an ambulance and presented herself as a medical professional was among those spreading the allegations. An investigation by Ukrainian outlet Slidstvo.Info found that the Med-Prestige clinic, which the woman claimed to represent, had ceased operations in 2023. The clinic's owner told the outlet that the ambulance used at the scene had been sold in 2024, with the buyers required to remove the company's branding.
According to the deputy SBU chief, investigators believe the unrest was deliberately organized to abduct a National Guard serviceman who had previously left his unit without authorization and was subsequently detained. The SBU has opened criminal proceedings concerning obstruction of the lawful activities of the armed forces and unauthorized disclosure of information about military locations. A separate investigation into mass unrest, initially handled by the National Police, has also been folded into the proceedings.
Separate probe into possible military misconduct
Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi rejected allegations that the property had been used as a torture facility. Separately, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation has opened criminal proceedings into possible abuse of authority by military officials. Investigators are examining the conditions in which servicemen were accommodated, allegations of coercion, and the conduct of those involved in the confrontation.
The Office of the Military Ombudsman is also looking into how servicemen came to be housed at the property, including questions surrounding their medical examinations and fitness for service. Four servicemen were taken to hospital.
The State Bureau of Investigation warned that conflicting accounts of the incident were circulating, some without sufficient evidence, and said all allegations of possible human rights violations would be examined. Ukraine's General Staff called for an impartial investigation, stressing that the state must respond to possible misconduct by military personnel while also protecting servicemen from threats and unlawful actions. It also emphasized that the return of servicemen who have left their units without authorization must be handled in accordance with the law and with respect for human dignity.
