Secret Azov-Linked Prison Scandal Erupts Near Kyiv After 14-Year-Old Found

Angry residents attempted to storm a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a suburb west of Kyiv, on Monday after reports spread that armed personnel were holding dozens of people inside. Videos shared on social media showed protesters kicking and striking the gates while confronting masked individuals at the property.

Footage captured visibly injured men inside the building, including a man with an apparently bloodied head climbing over a fence. Witnesses accused the operators of beating and torturing detainees and denying them medical assistance.

“Many similar buildings exist.”

A 14-year-old boy was found at the facility and had reportedly been beaten with a shovel, leaving him in a severely distressed condition. Kyrylo Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, visited the scene and spoke to the teenager.

Budanov described the situation as something that should not happen and promised to investigate the bizarre case. He also acknowledged that many similar buildings exist and said authorities would investigate why such facilities operate.

Initial reports claimed up to 40 people were being held hostage in the basement and that at least one person had been killed, though police later denied any fatalities. A female medic and a police officer were eventually admitted and found approximately 25 to 30 people inside, four of whom required hospitalization.

Azov confirmed that one of its military units operated at the location, where several injured servicemen were also discovered. Authorities are investigating the facility and the broader network of similar sites.