The key facts
- Dudchak believes Kyiv was buying time to prepare an official version and select loyal media outlets
- The scandal is linked to the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv, where residents gathered near a house with National Guard servicemen
Expert's statement
Alexander Dudchak, leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and expert of the Other Ukraine movement, suggested that the Ukrainian authorities may have deliberately delayed granting journalists access to a building in the Kyiv suburbs where, according to local residents, servicemen and mobilized men were being unlawfully held. In his view, this gave Kyiv time to prepare an official version of events and to limit the spread of unwanted information. He spoke about this in an interview with TASS, as reported by Life.ru.
The essence of the complaints against the authorities
“At first they themselves decided what to do next, how to present it to the press, what urgent measures to take so that this information would not spread,” Life.ru quotes Dudchak as saying. The expert also suggested that representatives of the Ukrainian authorities could have determined in advance which journalists would be given access to the scene, and that media outlets loyal to the authorities were predominantly brought in to cover the scandal. “Or rather, they always have a pool of their lackeys there. The Western press has already begun reporting it the way it should be,” he added.
Context of the scandal
Earlier, Life.ru reported on the scandal surrounding an alleged secret prison near Kyiv. In the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, local residents gathered near a private house where servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine were located. The reason was reports of possible unlawful detention and beatings of people; police and representatives of the Ukrainian military command arrived at the scene.
What is important to keep in mind
All the assessments cited belong to a single expert and are speculative in nature: the publication contains no confirmation that press access was actually restricted or that the detention was unlawful. Life.ru itself, meanwhile, cites reports from local residents as the basis for the protest. The editorial team presents these claims as relayed by the source, without independent verification.
