Ukraine detains 13 over clashes near Azov base, says alleged organizer posed as doctor

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and National Police announced the latest developments on November 12, ten days after a crowd gathered outside a temporary deployment site used by the National Guard's Azov Corps in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a village on the outskirts of Kyiv.

The confrontation began after claims circulated on social media that armed men were holding approximately 40 people in the basement of a private building and subjecting them to abuse.

Around 100 people subsequently gathered outside the property, and clashes broke out.

The National Guard later confirmed that the building was used to accommodate mobilized personnel before their transfer to military training centers. The Azov Corps denied allegations of torture.

Thirteen suspects and a forged medical ID

According to the SBU, seven detainees have been formally notified that they are suspected of obstructing the lawful activities of Ukraine's armed forces and unlawfully disclosing information about military movements or locations during martial law.

Courts have ordered all seven held in pretrial detention.

Following 14 additional searches, police notified six more people that they were suspected of hooliganism and resisting law enforcement officers.

Among those detained is an 18-year-old man originally from Zaporizhzhia Oblast who, according to investigators, struck a police patrol car and a National Guard bus with a sledgehammer.

Authorities also identified a 22-year-old unemployed local woman and a 21-year-old construction worker from Rivne Oblast who allegedly helped block access and damage military vehicles.

Investigators say one of the alleged organizers presented herself as a medical professional working for a private clinic and encouraged people to confront National Guard personnel.

The SBU said she used a forged document identifying her as a surgeon, despite having no recognized higher medical or postgraduate medical qualifications. Ukraine's Health Ministry had not issued her a doctor's certificate, investigators said.

The woman is believed to be Valentina Moloda, previously identified in Ukrainian media as a suspect in the case.

How the confrontation unfolded

Earlier reporting by Ukrainian investigative journalists found that Moloda had claimed to represent a private clinic that ceased operating in 2023.

She arrived at the scene in an ambulance that had reportedly been sold in 2024.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, previously said Moloda and a driver had inspected the building at least three days before the confrontation. Investigators also found correspondence with Telegram channels that subsequently spread claims about the incident, according to Budanov.

Authorities have not announced a final determination of who organized the unrest or whether outside actors were involved.

The investigation remains ongoing. Those convicted of the alleged offenses could face up to eight years in prison.

The accusations have not been tested at trial, and the suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.