Pivnenko called on Ukrainians "not to undermine military" following events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka

The Commander of the Ukrainian National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, called on the public "not to undermine" the military following the high-profile events involving National Guard units in the Kyiv region, and promised that an assessment would be carried out.

Pivnenko made this statement in comments to journalists on 3 November, according to Censor.NET.

An appeal to the public

Responding to a question about his message to the public following these events, Pivnenko said:

"Understand what you are doing. There is no need to undermine our servicemen. I am speaking generally about the Defence Forces. We are carrying out our duties; this is very distressing for us. We are dying."

The commander recalled that some National Guard members have been held captive for 4.5 years.

"These are military personnel too, who were shaken up; they’ve also been held captive. Do you understand? From Azovstal. And how is it that the people we’re defending are now accusing us of something? It’s just, you know, unpleasant that we — as military personnel — are being pelted with stones and humiliated whilst we’re carrying out our duties on the front line," he said.

Pivnenko mentioned the units within the National Guard — ‘Charter’, ‘Azov’ and ‘Omega’ — and emphasised that they are at the forefront.

"And all our international partners place great emphasis on them. Have you ever heard, in the last three years, that ‘Charter’, ‘Azov’ or ‘Omega’ treated people badly? I haven’t heard anything like that either," he noted.

The Commander of the National Guard expressed confidence that the law enforcement agencies would carry out a proper assessment of these events. He added that he would also assess the actions of his own units.

"No one here will get away with anything; an assessment will be made. And I will assess my own units… Believe me, if there are any [questionable — ed.] issues there, I will rectify them and we will not return to [them — ed.] at all. And I am confident that they [the people who were outside that building — ed.] did not fully realise that these were National Guard units," said Pivnenko.

According to him, 16 National Guard soldiers were injured during the incident whilst preventing the crowd from breaking through to the military base.

The situation in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka

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 had been 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, Kirill 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 collect him.
However, at around 10.30 pm, a group of people arrived at the scene and began pushing those present. A mass brawl broke out, and the sound of gunfire was heard, according to media reports. There were casualties among those present, and Budanov urged them to contact the police.
Budanov, who had visited the scene of the clashes the previous day, announced on 3 November that solutions had been devised to ensure an appropriate response to the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka and to prevent further provocations.
On 3 November, the Security Service of Ukraine (
SSU)
stated that it had identified and established the identities of around 100 people who were present at the scene of the disturbances on 2 November in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka in the Kyiv region and who had actively participated in organising them.
The SSU has opened criminal proceedings in three separate cases.
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has opened a case concerning the abuse of authority or official powers by military personnel.