Ukrainian authorities say unrest near Kyiv was organized to remove National Guard serviceman
Ukrainian security officials said on November 3 that unrest outside a National Guard facility near Kyiv the previous day had been organized in an attempt to remove a serviceman who had left his unit without authorization and provoke wider public unrest.
Ivan Rudnytskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), said the organizers sought to attract public attention and draw more people into the confrontation in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a suburb of Kyiv. The allegations remain under investigation.
Police said they had identified around 100 people involved in the incident and detained 16 individuals described by authorities as holding far-right views.
Officials also said a woman who arrived at the scene in an ambulance and its driver were suspected of organizing mass unrest and resisting law enforcement. Investigators are examining their actions.
Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said the building at the center of the confrontation had been legally rented by the National Guard. It housed servicemen who had returned after leaving their units without authorization, newly mobilized personnel and National Guard members preparing for basic military training.
According to National Guard commander Oleksandr Pivnenko, 16 servicemen were injured by stones thrown during the confrontation.
The officials' statements did not fully address the initial allegations of mistreatment of people inside the building, which helped fuel public concern over the incident.