A fake torture chamber, a real riot: Russia scores points on Ukraine’s mobilization crisis

On November 2nd, a crowd in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, outside of Kyiv, stormed a bus carrying recently mobilized men, demanding their release. Earlier, a woman claiming to be a medic arrived in an ambulance at a nearby private residence, saying the men were held in captivity and had been tortured. The video of her plea went viral on Telegram and Facebook.

The truth, however, was far less sensational. The woman was actually the owner of a plastic surgery clinic, whose ambulance had been sold in 2024. She and the uniform she wore were not authentic. The house was a temporary military deployment site for unit 3121, part of Ukraine's National Guard's 1st Azov Corps. The commander of the Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, and the head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov, arrived and allowed a small group of the crowd inside.

They found no torture chamber, only the newly mobilized and soldiers who had deserted and were awaiting processing. Some of the soldiers had injuries, which are now under investigation. Meanwhile, social media was filled with alarming claims and rumors, with posts suggesting 40 men were held in a basement in critical condition, some even being tortured and killed.

Russian media outlets joined the campaign, amplifying the same misinformation. The incident, however, paled in comparison to the horrors unfolding in Komyshuvakha, where Russia had dropped bombs on a humanitarian aid point, killing at least 31 people, including a 14-year-old girl.