Clashes in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka: National Guard troops and locals confront over alleged illegal detention

Residents, police officers and National Guard servicemen gathered near a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka on 2 November after social media posts claimed about 40 people were being illegally held inside, including wounded individuals whom medics were not allowed to see. Reports also circulated that one person had died.

Police said they received a call from private ambulance workers who said they were being prevented from reaching a person needing a medical examination. Officers who arrived established that servicemen from one of the National Guard units were near the house.

“Police denied reports of 40 hostages and a fatality.”

The National Guard commander said 18 servicemen were in the house, including four who had previously left their units without permission. Police denied reports of 40 hostages and a fatality.

A woman identifying herself as Valentina Moloda and as the owner of the private clinic "Med-prestizh" called the police and demanded entry to see "illegally detained mobilised men". Journalists found that the clinic had not operated since 2023 and that its ambulance had been sold in 2024.

Around 18:00 the woman was allowed inside and later said 25 to 30 people were inside, four of them in extremely serious condition. Tear gas was sprayed at the conflict site, though it remains unclear who used it. Wounded mobilised men were taken out of the house and a scuffle developed into fights and the blocking of buses carrying troops.

National Guard commander Oleksandr Pivnenko and Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov sought to settle the situation on the spot. The prosecutor's office is examining the circumstances of the servicemen's presence in the house and the conditions of their stay.