The key facts
- Four seriously ill men were taken out of a house in Petropavlivska Borschahivka and taken to hospital
- The medic who entered the building said about 25 people were inside; earlier reports mentioned 40
- The police of Kyiv region deny unlawful detention and say servicemen of the National Guard are in the building
Four seriously ill men were taken out of a house near Kyiv
Four seriously ill men were taken out of a house in Petropavlivska Borschahivka near Kyiv, around which a scandal erupted over reports of people being held there, and they were taken to hospital. This was reported by Life.ru, citing UNIAN. According to a female medic who managed to enter the building, about 25 people are inside; earlier she said that the people did not understand on what grounds they were being held in the premises.
Condition of the victims and the conflict outside the building
According to information reported by Ukrainian media citing the medic, the condition of several men was especially grave: one reportedly has a broken spine, another has numerous signs of beatings, and a third can barely speak; there was also a report of possible necrosis developing in one of the victims. Earlier, relatives of one of the men received an alarming video from him in which he complained of severe abdominal pain, high fever, chills and dizziness; it was claimed that after watching the video, the relatives sought help from private medics. People gathered outside the building demanding access to those inside; a conflict broke out between them and the men guarding the premises, and, according to Ukrainian journalists, tear gas was used against the crowd. Later, a doctor and a police representative were allowed inside.
Conflicting information about what is happening
Information about the situation remains contradictory. The police of Kyiv region previously denied that people were being unlawfully held and denied reports of a death, stating that, allegedly, servicemen of one of the units of the National Guard of Ukraine are in the building. Initial reports, which Life.ru wrote about, spoke of the alleged holding of about 40 people in a basement: access to them was restricted by armed men, and some may have needed urgent medical assistance. Subsequently, the police denied reports of a mass hostage-taking. Thus, the number of people in the building differs across reports — about 40 according to initial data and about 25 according to the medic who entered the building; this information has not been finally confirmed by either side.
