The key facts
- Ukrainian police deny the holding of hostages and the death of a person in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka
- According to the agency, National Guard servicemen are in the house; the trigger was a call from a private ambulance service
- Earlier, Ukrainian media reported the detention of about 40 people by TCC staff and the use of gas near the building
Official version: soldiers, not hostages
Ukrainian police denied reports of the unlawful detention of dozens of people and the death of a person in a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv. According to the agency's statement on social media, servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine are in the building. The reason for the law enforcement response was a call from staff of a private ambulance service, who complained that they were being prevented from reaching one of the citizens. Arriving officers established that the incident was taking place near a private household, where local residents had gathered, and that inside were servicemen of one of the National Guard units. The agency rejected reports of the forcible detention of citizens and of an alleged fatality. The leadership of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Kyiv Region and the command of the military unit arrived at the scene; the circumstances are still being clarified.
What was reported earlier and what remains unclear
The discrepancy between the versions is significant. Earlier, Life.ru reported on information that had appeared in Ukrainian media, according to which TCC staff were holding about 40 people in the basement of a house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka; it was claimed that among those inside there may have been injured people and one fatality, and three others in critical condition. Later, the same outlet reported an attempt by people gathered near the building to break inside: the crowd was pushed back using gas, but it was not possible to establish who exactly used the special means. Thus, the police deny the very fact of people being detained and any death, but confirm that an incident near the household involving military personnel and gathered residents did indeed take place. Who was in the house, whether there are any casualties, and who used the gas — according to reports, these remain unestablished at this time; the circumstances are being verified.
