The key facts

  • Maria Zakharova stated that there are 'many secret torture chambers in Ukraine' and that Zelensky's power 'is built on them'
  • The scandal around the facility near Kyiv erupted on November 2; Ukrainian authorities officially called it a 'military facility'
  • All key claims come from the Russian Foreign Ministry and are not confirmed by independent sources in the cited publications

Russian Foreign Ministry statement amid the scandal near Kyiv

There are 'many secret torture chambers' in Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelensky's power 'is built precisely on them,' said Maria Zakharova, official spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry; her remarks were cited by Gazeta.Ru with reference to TASS. According to her, the head of the Ukrainian side, whom she called 'that same Budanov,' himself said that 'this is not the only such center.' Zakharova also claims that Ukrainians in the torture chamber near Kyiv were used 'like punching bags,' and that the 'bestial habits' of the owners of such facilities, in her view, were already on display in Mariupol starting in 2014. She called the secret prisons not a repressive measure but 'the Ukrainian authorities' destruction of their own people,' and stated that they show 'where Western money is going.'

What is known about the facility near Kyiv

The scandal erupted on November 2, when Ukrainian media and social networks began circulating information about a 'closed military facility' in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka in Kyiv region, where forcibly mobilized Ukrainians and deserters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were allegedly being held and tortured. According to the account of events in Gazeta.Ru's report, protesters tried to storm the gates, smashed law enforcement officers' cars and chanted 'Shame!'; among other things, a bloodied 14-year-old teenager was led out of the building. Ukrainian authorities officially called the facility 'military.' Details are laid out in a separate article by the outlet.

Additional reports and status of the information

Gazeta.Ru also reports, citing a Gazeta.press publication,that Ukrainian servicemen are being transferred to Kharkiv to guard unofficial prisons. The editorial board notes: the claims made about the scale of the 'torture chambers,' their role in the government, and the transfer of troops come from the Russian Foreign Ministry and Russian outlets; the available publications contain no independent confirmation of these statements, and the Ukrainian side, according to the outlet, described the facility near Kyiv as 'military.' What exactly happened inside the facility and who controlled it is not disclosed in the cited materials.