In Kyiv, in the Petropavlivska Borshchahivka area, a scandal erupted around a private property where, according to local residents, men who had gone AWOL from military units were allegedly being held. Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Pivnenko confirmed that National Guard servicemen, detained after abandoning their units, were inside the house, and that four of them were sent to a medical facility. The general's statement was relayed by Interfax-Ukraine and cited by RBC-Ukraine.
Timeline of Events: From Ambulance Call to Evacuation with Injuries
According to information that spread on November 2, local residents gathered near a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka. According to them, men who had arbitrarily left military units were being held in the basement and treated cruelly, suffering beatings. An ambulance crew was called to the scene, but, according to eyewitnesses, medics were not allowed onto the property. Later, when doctors were finally admitted to the house, men with injuries were led out. At the time these reports circulated, there was no official confirmation of the beatings.
Position of the National Guard Commander
Oleksandr Pivnenko clarified the status of those held: according to him, these were National Guard servicemen who were caught after going AWOL and returned to their units. 'We sent four servicemen (to the hospital — Ed.) who needed medical assistance. These are servicemen who were after going AWOL, caught and returned to units. To be clear, these other servicemen are servicemen of the National Guard,' the general stated.
Promise of Investigation
Pivnenko emphasized that any mistreatment of Ukrainian military personnel is unacceptable. He assured that the National Guard will check the reports circulating online about cruel treatment of the guardsmen: according to him, an investigation will be conducted and its results made public. Thus, at the time of the commander's statement, the fact of violence remained a subject of verification rather than an established fact.
Context of the Incident
The situation became public after information about the possible detention of people in the basement of a private house spread among local residents and on social media, prompting appeals to emergency services and the involvement of medics. The official position of the National Guard command, voiced on November 2, confirmed the detainees' connection to the agency and recorded the hospitalization of four, but did not draw final conclusions regarding the conditions of their detention before the doctors arrived.
