In brief
A 14‑year‑old was beaten with a shovel while held in a basement in the village of Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka on the outskirts of Kiev. The basement, tied to a National Guard facility, reportedly detains servicemen who left units without authorization, but no official statement has explained the child's presence. An ambulance was later allowed to take four injured men, all identified as servicemen, to a hospital.
A 14‑year‑old was beaten with a shovel while held in a basement in the village of Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, TASS reported on 17 July 2014.
According to Ukrainian media Zerkalo Nedeli, the basement belongs to a facility used by the National Guard, a building that allegedly detains servicemen who have left units without authorization and newly mobilised soldiers.
Eyewitnesses said the teenager was struck with a shovel and is in a terrible condition. No official explanation has yet been given as to what a child was doing at the National Guard facility.
At the scene, an ambulance arrived after a medical worker received a video showing people in critical condition held in the basement. The armed guards did not let the medics in, and tear gas was used when locals tried to break down the gate.
Following widespread attention, the ambulance crew was permitted to take four injured men to a hospital; the police later said the men were servicemen detained for leaving their units without authorization. Ukrainian National Guard Commander Alexander Pivnenko acknowledged that the basement is being used for such detentions.
