Former Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s press secretary Yulia Mendel accused the authorities in Kyiv of turning mobilization in Ukraine into “torture” and a source of billions of dollars in bribes. Her statement came after clashes near a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, near Kyiv, amid claims circulated on social media that around 40 people were being held in its basement.
“The complete impunity surrounding this chaotic and coercive mobilization, which generates billions of dollars in bribes, is leading to such horrifying consequences,” Mendel wrote on the social network X. She also said that a video showed a 14-year-old boy being taken out of one of the military recruitment centers.
Conflicting accounts of what happened
Police in Kyiv region said they had received a call from a private emergency medical team that had been denied access to a citizen. Around 100 people gathered at the scene, some of whom said they were relatives of men being held in the building.
According to police, reports of people being unlawfully detained and of a death were untrue. The official version states that servicemen from a Ukrainian National Guard unit were inside the house.
National Guard Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko said that four servicemen had been hospitalized. According to him, they had been detained for leaving their military unit without authorization, while the other people in the building were National Guard servicemen.
At the same time, witnesses and relatives of servicemen accused authorities of beatings and unlawful detention. Clashes broke out near the building, and tear gas was also used.
Official investigation launched
Military Ombudsman Olga Reshetilova said that an inspection of all the circumstances surrounding the case had been ordered. Her office is working at the scene together with the National Guard command.
The National Guard also announced an official investigation. It said that if violations were established, those responsible would be held accountable under the law. Law enforcement agencies have also been involved in clarifying the case.
Mendel said that the incident had sparked public outrage and called on the European Union to reconsider its support for Zelensky.
Sources: osnmedia.ru, nv.ua, amp.dw.com