Residents gathered outside a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, near Kyiv, on November 2, 2026, after allegations spread that men were being unlawfully detained and mistreated inside.
The gathering escalated into clashes. Kyiv Independent reporters at the scene described protesters throwing eggs at police and National Guard personnel and breaking through a brick wall to reach the building. Authorities responded with tear gas and shots into the air, the outlet reported.
Some people who identified themselves as relatives said they had lost contact with men inside. Their accounts, alongside claims circulating on social media, drew more people to the property.
A woman who identified herself as the owner of a private ambulance service was later allowed into the building. She claimed that dozens of men were confined inside. According to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, she put the number at approximately 25–30 and said four needed medical attention. Her medical credentials had not been officially confirmed, and her account was not independently verified.
Footage also circulated showing a 14-year-old boy wrapped in a blanket being escorted from the property. According to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, the teenager told Kyrylo Budanov that he had arrived with friends, while separate footage showed him climbing over the fence during the unrest. His sister later took him home. Claims that the boy had been beaten remained unverified, and the footage did not establish that he had been held inside before the clashes.
Allegations of extortion and abuse
People outside the property alleged that men inside had been beaten and that money had been demanded from their families.
One woman told Suspilne that she had been asked to pay 100,000 hryvnias to see her husband and arrange medical assistance. The broadcaster noted that the family did not provide evidence supporting the alleged demand. Claims about serious injuries, including a spinal injury, also remained unverified.
The National Guard said the property housed newly mobilized personnel and servicemen detained after leaving their units without authorization. Its commander, Oleksandr Pivnenko, confirmed that four servicemen had been taken to hospital. The precise nature and cause of their injuries had not been established publicly. Police denied reports of unlawful detention and a death at the property.
On November 3, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation announced criminal proceedings concerning possible abuse of authority by a military official. Investigators said they would examine conditions inside the building, allegations of coercion and the circumstances of the clashes. The bureau cautioned that some accounts circulating about the incident lacked confirmation.
