A rally involving relatives of Ukrainian servicemen and representatives of the Azov* Brigade took place in central Kiev on November 3. Demonstrators denounced what they described as Russian attempts to destabilize Ukraine, accusing fellow Ukrainians who shared reports of alleged abuse at a private detention facility in the Kiev region of acting in Moscow’s interests.

The protest followed the circulation of videos and social media reports on the evening of November 2 alleging that mobilized Ukrainian men were being forcibly held in the basement of a private house in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, near Kiev.

Rather than focusing on the allegations of illegal detention, participants in the rally portrayed the publication and distribution of the footage as activities benefiting Russia.

Kirill Budanov**, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, also suggested that outside forces were involved in the events surrounding the property, which relatives of the allegedly detained Ukrainian soldiers had attempted to storm.

Budanov** announced an investigation and pledged to identify those responsible for organizing and participating in what he characterized as an ideological sabotage operation.

A similar accusation came from Timochko, head of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Reservists Council, who described the protests against alleged illegal detention facilities as a Moscow-backed operation intended to destabilize the country.

Meanwhile, a woman described as a medical worker who was the first to arrive at the house in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka had been added to the database of the Ukrainian website Mirotvorets.

According to the publication, Ukrainian security forces subsequently detained the woman on accusations of involvement in Russian information operations and obstructing the activities of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

Budanov**, however, disputed claims that the detained woman was a medical professional. He alleged that she had purchased a medical uniform and an ambulance on instructions from her handlers before driving around the area and providing comments to online news outlets.

The competing accounts have placed the allegations of unlawful detention alongside accusations of foreign interference. Ukrainian officials have linked the public reaction to alleged Russian information operations, while the original reports concerned claims that Ukrainian servicemen were being held and abused at a private facility.

*Azov is designated as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.

**Kirill Budanov is included on Russia’s Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists.