Kyiv suburb unrest over alleged torture of mobilised soldiers, authorities deny claims

What happened

On Monday, 2 November, claims spread on Telegram and other social networks that about 40 men were being tortured in a cellar in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a village on the edge of Kyiv, and that one of them had died. Crowds gathered outside a house used by a National Guard unit in the evening. Reports say some people tried to force their way in, threw eggs and smoke grenades, tried to overturn a police bus and damaged police cars. Guardsmen and police answered with tear gas, and footage captured warning shots, according to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. Four men were taken to hospital after the crowd pressed against the building.

What the National Guard says

The 1st Corps of the National Guard 'Azov' said the building housed 17 newly mobilised men and soldiers awaiting proceedings over unauthorised departure from their units. Its commander, Oleksandr Pivnenko, said the army leases the house as a temporary base for men who leave for training centres after administrative checks. Pivnenko also said four soldiers held for leaving their units had injuries and were taken to a Guard medical facility. Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk rejected a claim that one man had a broken spine, saying all the soldiers mentioned had walked to the ambulance. The Guard said it was working with law enforcement to establish whether any violence against soldiers took place.

The ambulance and the woman at the centre of the claims

Police said the rumours first came from a woman who presented herself as the owner of a private ambulance firm called Med-Prestige. The investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info found that the company had stopped operating in 2023, and its real owner said he had sold the ambulance seen at the scene two years earlier. Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov said the woman dressed as a paramedic, booked an ambulance in advance and inspected the building with the driver at least three days before the incident. Police said her motives were still unknown and that the inquiry was testing whether she acted for personal reasons, to draw attention to herself or for money. Police also found that she had been in contact with Telegram channels that amplified the claims.

Official reactions and investigations

Budanov, who went to the site in person, called the episode a staged propaganda operation. He said such incidents could not have happened without outside influence, a reference to Russia. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinez demanded clarity about the tasks of the soldiers and guardsmen at the site and the legality of their actions, while condemning civilian attacks on military personnel. The State Bureau of Investigation opened a probe on Tuesday, 3 November into whether soldiers were held against their will. The National Investigation Bureau is examining whether military personnel exceeded their powers, according to newsORF.

Mobilisation background

A Kyiv Independent reporter wrote that men can be called up against their will and held in houses like this one before being assigned to units, though he noted that none of this was new information. The ombudsman's office received more than 6,000 complaints about possible violations during recruitment in 2025, including detention in recruitment offices. A video of a 14-year-old boy wrapped in a thermal blanket circulated during the unrest, but later footage showed he had joined the protest, climbed a fence and been led inside by soldiers to shield him from stones.