Journalist Olga Musafirova examined how unsubstantiated reports of a “secret prison” for Ukrainian service personnel spread during clashes in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv on November 2. Anonymous Telegram channels alleged unlawful detention, torture and deaths, without substantiating those claims.
According to Musafirova, competing accounts alternately blamed units linked to the Khartiia brigade and Azov. People gathered outside the building demanding police access, and confrontations followed with police and military personnel. Livestreams helped conflicting allegations spread rapidly. Musafirova could not reliably identify the first anonymous post.
A separate investigation by Slidstvo.Info traced an ambulance used by Valentyna Moloda when she arrived at the scene. It still bore the markings of the Med-Prestige clinic, although owner Mykhailo Furman said the clinic had closed in 2023 and the vehicle had been sold in 2024. Kyiv regional police linked Moloda to the spread of allegations about unlawful detention. Those circumstances alone do not establish that the unrest was orchestrated in advance.
National Guard commander Oleksandr Pivnenko said the rented building served as temporary accommodation while personnel completed paperwork and awaited training. He said 18 servicemen were in the basement and four others, who had previously left their units without authorization, were taken to a medical center. He promised an inquiry into their circumstances.
Ukraine’s military ombudswoman, Olha Reshetylova, announced inspections of both the accommodation site and the medical facility. Authorities are separately investigating the clashes, and a court has imposed pretrial restrictions on two women.