Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation opened a case into possible misconduct at a National Guard lodging site near Kyiv after online claims of torture drew a crowd and preceded a Nov. 2 confrontation.
Social media posts alleged that 40 people had been confined below ground. Suspilne, a Ukrainian public broadcaster, put the crowd at about 100 people and said a confrontation followed in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka. Police identified the building as National Guard accommodation and denied that people were being held there illegally or that anyone had died.
The SBI reported that gunfire was audible and police vehicles sustained damage. Its inquiry will examine the conditions under which servicemen were housed, reports of coercion and the conduct of the confrontation, including whether a military official misused his authority.
The National Guard’s First Corps said four servicemen were injured and taken to a hospital for examination.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had identified more than 100 people connected to the unrest. The proceedings it opened cover the disturbance, interference with the armed forces and unauthorized disclosure of information about defense-force locations. The service said officers were searching residences linked to suspected organizers and that authorities were weighing detentions and formal notices of suspicion. In its written statement, the SBU alleged that people behind the gathering were trying to help someone facing mobilization avoid the call-up unlawfully.
Interfax-Ukraine separately reported that SBU Deputy Head Ivan Rudnytskyi described a suspected plan to forcibly remove a serviceman who had left his unit without permission. The SBU’s written statement did not say whether its allegation and Rudnytskyi’s account concerned the same person or plan.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said the National Guard had rented the property as temporary accommodation. The ministry said separate premises were used to spread personnel out for security and that the Guard would review how it selects lodging for servicemen preparing for basic military training. It did not announce a date for the review.
