Ukrainian court sends ambulance driver over alleged disorder at National Guard site for 60 days
A Kyiv district court ordered Viktor Yena, who drove an ambulance to a National Guard deployment site in Petro-pavlivska Borshchahivka, to spend 60 days in custody without the option of bail. The measure runs until 3 January 2027 and follows disturbances outside the site on 2 November after unverified claims about detained and tortured people circulated online.
Pontos principais
- The court ordered 60 days in custody without bail for Viktor Yena on 5 November; the measure runs until 3 January 2027.
- Yena, who represented himself as an ambulance driver, denied knowing that the house was a military site and said he was only a witness.
- Valentina Moloda and Tetiana Kiriieva were ordered held for two months without bail on 4 November.
- Moloda, Kiriieva and Yena are suspected of obstructing the Armed Forces, disclosing military locations and organising mass disturbances.
- The house on Soniachna Street was used as a temporary National Guard deployment site where mobilised personnel were processed and sent to training centres.
- Claims that about 40 people were detained in the basement, tortured or killed were not confirmed; police said there were no hostages or fatalities.
- Police and the Security Service identified 130 people who may have been involved in the disorder; 27 allegedly took part in unlawful actions.
- During the disorder, a crowd damaged a fence, gates, windows, a National Guard bus and police vehicles; four soldiers were hospitalised.
Porque é importante
The custody decision extends a criminal investigation concerning the disclosure of military locations and alleged organising of mass disorder. It also adds to scrutiny of the episode involving a private house used as a National Guard deployment site, where unverified claims about hostages and torture circulated online before violence erupted.
O que aconteceu
On 2 November 2026, around 100 people gathered near the house on Soniachna Street in Petro-pavlivska Borshchahivka after posts claimed that about 40 people were being held in the basement, tortured and that one person had died. The claims were not confirmed, and Kyiv regional police said there had been no hostages or fatality.
The crowd damaged the fence, gates, windows, a National Guard bus and police vehicles. Four soldiers who had left their units without authorisation were taken to the National Guard medical centre, while 18 personnel remained in the building. The National Guard began an internal investigation, and the State Bureau of Investigation and the Military Ombudsman’s Office also became involved.
Yena and Moloda arrived at the site in an ambulance around 10:00. Moloda wore medical clothing, while Yena presented himself as the driver. According to investigators, Kiriieva shared the deployment-site address in a Telegram group, Yena visited and filmed the building, and Moloda also recorded a video claiming that she had been denied access to the soldiers and calling on people to come to the house.
On 4 November, the Solomianskyi District Court in Kyiv ordered Moloda and Kiriieva to spend two months in custody without bail. On 5 November, it ordered Yena to spend 60 days in custody without bail. The latter measure runs until 3 January 2027, and prosecutors said there were risks of Yena going into hiding, influencing witnesses, destroying or distorting evidence, and committing similar offences. His lawyers requested a more lenient measure, citing his combatant status, third-group disability and role as his mother’s only son.
Como o descrevem as fontes ucranianas
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the custody decisions concerning Yena, Moloda and Kiriieva and on their statements in court. It also examines investigators’ allegations that Kiriieva and Moloda agreed in advance to obstruct the military unit, prepare medical equipment and clothing, locate the site and distribute information about the soldiers through Telegram. Another focus is the verification of Yena’s medical qualifications and the status of the companies and ambulance connected with Moloda.
Onde as versões divergem
Yena denies organising the disorder and says he was merely a witness who did not know the building was a military site. Prosecutors instead regard him as Moloda’s accomplice and allege that he helped prepare the medical disguise and equipment, visited the site, filmed it and helped identify its location.
Moloda also denies gathering people or inciting the crowd, saying she helped four injured men. Investigators and prosecutors allege that she called people to the house and that she and Kiriieva had agreed in advance to commit the offence.
Contexto
The building on Soniachna Street had been used as a temporary National Guard deployment site, where mobilised personnel had their documents processed, underwent checks and were then sent to training centres. Moloda presented herself as the owner of Med-Prestizh and a medical worker, while Yena presented himself as an ambulance driver. Med-Prestizh had ceased operating in 2023, and the ambulance used at the site had been sold in 2024. Journalists found no confirmation that Yena had a medical education.