Ukrainian court orders 60 days in custody for Viktor Yena over Petropavlivska Borshchahivka clashes

Därför är det viktigt

The custody decision continues the criminal investigation into the disclosure of military locations and the organisation of mass unrest. The case concerns violence and blockades around a temporary Natiguardia deployment site amid unverified claims of hostages and torture. Yena will remain in a pre-trial detention facility without bail until 3 January 2027, while Moloda and Kirieieva have also been held for two months without bail.

Vad som hände

On 2 November, Viktor Yena drove an ambulance with Valentyna Moloda to a building on Soniachna Street in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka that was being used as a temporary Natiguardia deployment point. Moloda wore medical clothing and claimed that military personnel were being held inside and denied medical access, while Yena presented himself as an ambulance driver. Unverified social-media posts about roughly 40 detained people, torture and a death circulated, and about 100 people gathered before clashes erupted. The crowd damaged fences, gates, windows, a Natiguardia bus and police vehicles, and threw stones, smoke bombs and pyrotechnics; law enforcement used tear gas.

Moloda and Kirieieva were arrested and questioned on 3 November. Prosecutors allege that Kirieieva arranged Moloda's involvement, that Moloda proposed paid emergency evacuation from military conscription centres and units for 107,000 hryvnias, and that the pair recorded and disseminated information about the deployment site. The Natiguardia said four soldiers who had left their units without permission were taken to hospital, while police rejected claims of hostages or a fatality.

On 4 November, the Solomianskyi District Court ordered Moloda and Kirieieva held for two months without bail. On 5 November, the court imposed the same bail-free 60-day custody measure on Yena. His lawyers sought a milder measure, citing his combat status, third-group disability and responsibility for his seriously ill mother. Prosecutors argued that custody was necessary to prevent evasion, interference with witnesses and destruction or distortion of evidence.

Så beskriver ukrainska källor det

Ukrainian reporting focuses on the custody decisions for Yena, Moloda and Kirieieva, as well as their testimony in court. It also examines evidence presented by prosecutors and investigators concerning the alleged prior agreement, preparation of medical clothing and an ambulance, reconnaissance of the facility, the Telegram group and the dissemination of information about military personnel. Particular attention is given to the absence of confirmed medical qualifications for Yena, the inactive companies and ambulance associated with Moloda, and the actual function of the Natiguardia deployment point.

Där rapporteringen skiljer sig åt

Yena denies organising or participating in the unrest, says he was only a witness and did not know about the military facility. Prosecutors instead identify him as Moloda's accomplice, alleging that he helped prepare the medical disguise and vehicle, reconnoitred the site and shared its location.

Moloda also denies gathering people or inciting the crowd and says she helped four injured men. Investigators and prosecutors allege that she summoned people to the building and that she and Kirieieva had previously agreed to commit an offence intended to obstruct the military unit and help soldiers leave their service location without authorisation.

Bakgrund

The building on Soniachna Street was used by the Natiguardia as a temporary deployment point through which mobilised personnel were routed to training centres. On 2 November, social-media users spread claims that about 40 people were being held in the basement, were being tortured and that someone had died. Those claims were not substantiated, and police confirmed that there were no hostages or fatalities. Moloda presented herself as a medical worker and the owner of the Med-Pristyn company, which had ceased operating in 2023; the ambulance that arrived at the building had been sold in 2024.