Miroshnik said Zelensky was 'frightened' by the disclosure of data on a secret torture chamber near Kyiv

Statement by the Russian diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was 'frightened' by the disclosure of information about a secret torture chamber near Kyiv and 'threw a tantrum.' According to him, the fact that just a few hours after the incident in Petropavlivska Borschahivka the National Guard commander and the leadership of the head of state's office arrived there proves that they were acting on the president's direct orders. Miroshnik also claims that the Kyiv authorities began 'gagging' those publicizing the story: a number of protest participants have been detained, including a medic and an ambulance driver who had come to the house. Gazeta.Ru reports this.

What is known about the unrest

On the evening of November 2, mass unrest broke out in the village of Petropavlivska Borschahivka near Kyiv, near a private house that is referred to as a secret prison. According to Ukrainian media and relatives, people, including mobilized men and soldiers who had left their units without authorization, were unofficially held in the building's basement. Protesters tried to storm the gates, smashed law enforcement officers' vehicles and chanted 'Shame!' Gas was used against them, and gunshots were also heard. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, arrived at the scene, confirmed that servicemen had been in the house, and assured that there were no more hostages; a bloodied 14-year-old teenager was led out of the building. Earlier, Budanov had been doused with pepper spray during the unrest.

Context and what remains unclear

Miroshnik linked the authorities' reaction to the fact that the information could 'discredit Ukraine' precisely at the moment when new financial tranches and additional weapons supplies were being discussed. This is a statement by an official representative of the Russian side, not the result of an independent investigation; no confirmation of his version about Zelensky's personal order is available in published reports. The confirmed facts remain the unrest on November 2, Budanov's arrival, and his words about the servicemen who had been in the house. Details about the nature of the detention of people and the fate of the detained protest participants are not disclosed in the sources.