Budanov called the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka unacceptable: law enforcement officers are clarifying the circumstances

Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, together with the security bloc, is working out decisions in connection with yesterday’s events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka.

According to him, law enforcement officers are establishing all the circumstances of what happened in order to bring those responsible to justice and prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

Budanov emphasized that such events are unacceptable for the state and damage the unity of Ukrainians in the face of the Russian threat.

Today he stated that the initiators and those involved in the clash in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka will be punished – appropriate conclusions will also be drawn regarding the security forces. Budanov added, that “It is already reliably known that yesterday’s events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka did not take place without external influence.”

To remind, the Head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, personally visited the scene yesterday evening. He came to calm the situation, entered the building together with journalists, spoke with the mobilised men, and asked them about their state of health. Outside the building, he gave a short interview to the press, emphasising that everyone inside was there legally and that everything was official.

He did not comment on the release of a 14-year-old boy who had previously been taken out of the building and was in a highly stressed condition when accompanied by his relatives in front of the cameras. However, later video footage revealed that it was Budanov who found the boy inside the building, personally ordered that his relatives be located, and ensured he was taken home.

Nothing is currently known about the boy’s condition at the time of his release. There are rumours that he was severely beaten inside. At the same time, cameras captured a moment when a person resembling him fell from the fence into the territory when the riot began. Witnesses claim he was throwing stones and behaving inappropriately.

After the head of President Office left the scene in Petropavlivska Borshchagivka, according to UNIAN, their correspondent was attacked – unidentified man kicked the journalist in the stomach in front of law enforcement.

At the same time, a video appeared online of the commander of Azov Denys Prokopenko in which he condemns any escalation around the situation and directly calls everyone who supports such discrediting of the National Guard those who are working for the enemy.

Later, a Novyny Live correspondent filmed citizens, reportedly servicemen, in an ambulance that was heading to the hospital from a private house in Sofiivska Borshchahivka. One of the three men had a broken spine. The other two had numerous bruises under their eyes and on their bodies, which were visible on camera.

Today, journalist and serviceman Yurii Butusov stated that not a single serviceman of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia” was involved in the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka.

He called for all the circumstances of the case to be made public under the oversight of deputies and the media.

In the journalist’s view, the appearance at the scene of National Guard Commander Pivnenko and Head of the President’s Office Budanov only increases the resonance rather than solving the problem.

Butusov stressed that such scandals are the result of the failure of mobilization policy and the absence of military justice (courts and military police), which are standard in NATO countries. If the authorities do not immediately begin real reforms in these areas, enemy special services will continue to use such incidents to undermine Ukraine’s defense, – he summarised.

Military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova reaction on the events have been officially published as follow:

“At the deployment point of the military unit in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, in addition to mobilised personnel, there were servicemen who had fought in the battles for Mariupol and Azovstal, survived Russian captivity, and returned to the ranks. They came back to defend their state, the civilian population, and Ukrainian children. In response, the local population thanked them with spit, eggs, broken windows, and foul-mouthed teenagers.”

“Whether there were violations regarding the servicemen who had returned from AWOL, the new recruits, or in the procedures and stages of their service — we will establish this as part of the investigation. Whether we will be able to restore the trust between the military and society, which was once again undermined by yesterday’s events – remains an open question. It is clear that everyone will need to make an effort. Not everyone is willing to do so,” – emphasises military ombudsman.

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets commented on the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, stating that he had repeatedly warned about the risk of such conflicts arising. The only way to stop them is not to justify one side or condemn the other in advance, but to establish the facts and give a legal assessment of the actions of each participant, the Ombudsman said.

“In connection with the incident in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, I have already sent inquiries to all law enforcement agencies demanding that they examine all the circumstances, establish the legal grounds for the presence of servicemen and National Guard personnel in the house, and provide a legal assessment of the actions of all those involved in the events. It is necessary to establish what kind of house this is, what tasks the servicemen and National Guard representatives were performing there, and whether the requirements of the law were observed.”

At the same time, Lubinets expressed a clear position regarding the actions of certain civilians who took part in the attack on the servicemen yesterday: “I condemn any attacks on military personnel and police officers.”

“When you see people who have been through the front become the object of public contempt, it causes outrage. We must not forget the price paid for the opportunity to live in relative safety in the rear. Here too, I demand a legal assessment of the actions of such civilians,” the human rights defender concluded.

At the same time, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced today that the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka will be investigated as the abuse of power or official authority by a military official.

“A criminal proceeding has been opened under Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Officers are working at the scene together with representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the National Police, and the Office of the Military Ombudsman, with the full cooperation of the National Guard. Investigators will examine the legality of the actions of all those involved. In particular, they will establish the circumstances and conditions under which the servicemen were present in the house, verify reports of possible coercion against them, and clarify the causes and course of the conflict.”

Officials say that a large number of reports are circulating around the incident, containing different and sometimes contradictory versions of what happened. Some of these claims currently lack proper confirmation. That is why it is important to thoroughly examine all the circumstances, establish the sequence of events, and separate reliable information from assumptions and unverified reports. All reports of possible human rights violations will be properly verified, according to SBI.

“A legal assessment of the actions of those involved will be made solely on the basis of established facts and collected evidence,” the statement concluded.

EMPR