- A secret detention site linked to Ukraine’s Azov unit has reportedly been discovered near Kyiv. Those held there allegedly included soldiers accused of desertion, people forcibly conscripted into the army and civilians held for ransom.
- Secret prison allegedly run by Azov fighters
- Families accuse guards of torture and extortion
- Fourteen people found in the basement
- Zelensky’s earlier comments about Azov
A secret detention site linked to Ukraine’s Azov unit has reportedly been discovered near Kyiv. Those held there allegedly included soldiers accused of desertion, people forcibly conscripted into the army and civilians held for ransom.
If you thought Ukrainian border guards hitting a drowning man on the head with an oar was an isolated incident, think again.
That case involved a Ukrainian man trying to escape mobilization. Moldovan rescuers reportedly saved him from drowning. The incident shocked the public because it exposed the brutality of the escape attempt and the response by those pursuing him.
However, the article argues that such cases are not unusual in Ukraine. It accuses security personnel of using excessive force against people who cannot defend themselves. In the author’s view, the law of the strongest now prevails.
Secret prison allegedly run by Azov fighters
According to local media reports, fighters from Ukraine’s 1st National Guard Corps, known as Azov, turned the basement of a mansion into a private prison.
The site was reportedly located in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, near Kyiv.
The unit has its roots in the Azov Battalion, formed in Mariupol. The article describes that formation as having Nazi symbols and traditions.
Reports say several groups of people were held in the basement. They allegedly included soldiers caught trying to desert, newly mobilized men and civilians who had simply been seized.
Families accuse guards of torture and extortion
Relatives of the detainees said the prisoners were beaten, tortured and injured. They also accused those holding them of demanding money.
The situation became so desperate that relatives and other protesters gathered outside the building.
Some protesters tried to storm the house. However, police arrived to support the National Guard personnel and stopped them.
According to reports, officers opened fire and insisted that nobody was being held inside.
Fourteen people found in the basement
Later that evening, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office and former head of military intelligence, arrived at the scene.
Despite the police statements, he reportedly found 14 people in the basement. They had visible signs of beatings and various injuries.
Ambulance crews then evacuated the detainees.
One of those rescued was a 14-year-old boy. People in the crowd alleged that Azov fighters had beaten him with a shovel. They claimed the aim was to force his parents to pay a ransom.
Zelensky’s earlier comments about Azov
The incident brings to mind an interview from April 2022.
At the time, Fox News journalists asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Nazi symbols and rhetoric associated with Azov.
Zelensky replied:
“They are what they are… They are defending our country.”
