Situation in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka began with fake medic. There was no torture chamber, - Vyhivskyi
The conflict in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka was accompanied by manipulation and false reports alleging the unlawful detention of military personnel. Law enforcement officers are identifying everyone involved in the events, and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) will provide a legal assessment of their actions.
Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said this, a Censor.NET correspondent reports.
What is known?
According to him, there was extensive manipulation and false information surrounding the situation, primarily directed against the National Guard unit.
"The circumstances leading up to this situation were staged. It began when this fake medic arrived in a vehicle marked for medical assistance, wearing medical aid patches. Supposedly to provide assistance to people who were being held unlawfully," he said.
Vyhivskyi noted that the building had been lawfully rented by the National Guard.
"This woman was livestreaming in an emotional manner. Many people then saw this, and people began gathering there. In effect, manipulating and distorting the entire situation," the interior minister added.
Law enforcement officers are currently identifying the people who were there and establishing where they came from. A legal assessment will be provided of everyone’s actions.
After that, the National Guard commander showed the conditions in which the individuals were being held. They were subsequently allowed to be taken to hospital for medical care, although care was also being provided on site.
"Four people — two service members who had returned after going AWOL, and two mobilized personnel awaiting departure for basic military training. After that, the crowd decided this was not enough and demanded the release of another 17 people who were inside the building. They were also National Guard service members preparing to leave for basic military training," Vyhivskyi continued.
A decision was then made to leave the building because its location had been identified, making it a potential target for Russian forces.
It was therefore decided to move the people out by bus. They boarded the bus voluntarily, but when it began moving, people started blocking it.
"The claims that this was a torture chamber, that someone had died, were false reports spread by that woman. The SBI will provide a legal assessment of these events. The National Guard leadership is conducting an internal investigation, and an assessment will be made specifically of the conduct of those individuals who were allegedly held there unlawfully," he said.
Vyhivskyi stressed that Russia is waging a hybrid war.
"We acted with the utmost restraint and care to prevent deaths and serious injuries. That is why the conflict ended at this stage," the interior minister continued.
The driver of the "ambulance" and the woman were detained. Several proceedings concerning the incident are currently under investigation.
Background
- Earlier, reports circulated online claiming that on 2 November in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv, armed men were allegedly holding around 40 hostages in the basement of one of the houses, some of whom were in a serious condition, and were preventing medics from reaching them.
- According to the Kyiv Regional Police, they were contacted by staff from a private ambulance service who were prevented from reaching one person.
- The police stated that reports claiming people were being unlawfully detained in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka and that one of them had died were untrue.
- The Commander of the National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, confirmed that National Guard servicemen were in the house after leaving their unit without authorisation, and that four of them required medical attention and were taken to hospital.
- Pivnenko also explained that the private house was being used as a temporary accommodation centre for National Guard personnel. Mobilised personnel arrived there, underwent registration and checks, after which they were sent to a training centre.
- When asked about a man with a broken spine, National Guard press officer Ruslan Muzychuk replied that this was not true: all four had walked to the ambulance under their own steam.
- The Office of the Military Ombudsman was present at the scene in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka alongside the command of the National Guard of Ukraine. An investigation has been ordered.
- The National Guard will launch an internal investigation into this incident.
- Tensions remained high well into the night. People threw stones at the building’s windows, set off smoke bombs and firecrackers, damaged the building’s brick wall, smashed the bus and attempted to overturn it.
- The Head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, arrived at the scene in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka in the Kyiv region.
- Footage circulated on social media showing a teenage boy being led out of the building, wrapped in a thermal blanket. Budanov spoke to him personally – the boy said he was 14 years old and had come to the scene with his friends. The Head of the Presidential Office rang the boy’s sister to ask her to come and collect him.
-
However, at around 10.30 pm, a group of people arrived at the scene and began pushing those present aside. A mass brawl broke out, and the sound of gunshots was heard, according to media reports. There were casualties amongst those present, and Budanov urged them to contact the police.
