Driver in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka unrest held for 60 days
Viktor Yen, who drove the vehicle used by Valentyna Moloda to reach the National Guard base, faces detention until January 3, 2027.
By Grace Anderson ·
A Kyiv court ruled on November 5 that Viktor Yen must remain in custody for 60 days without the right to bail. Yen is the driver of the vehicle used by Valentyna Moloda, a self-proclaimed doctor, to enter Petropavlivska Borshchahivka during recent clashes.
The judge ordered Yen's confinement at the Kyiv Pre-Trial Detention Centre. The ruling is effective immediately and remains valid until January 3, 2027. Yen may appeal the decision to the Kyiv Court of Appeal within five days of the announcement.
During the hearing, Yen argued that his role made him a witness rather than an accomplice in the events. He drove the vehicle to Soniachna Street in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka on November 2. Suspilne reported that he identified himself to onlookers as an ambulance driver.
Moloda arrived in Yen's vehicle and claimed that servicemen were being unlawfully detained in the building used by the 1st Azov Corps of Ukraine's National Guard. The 1st Azov Corps stated that the site housed mobilized personnel and servicemen who were absent without official leave and awaiting assignment to units.
On November 4, a court remanded Moloda and Tetiana Kiriieva in custody for 60 days without bail. Moloda received a notice of suspicion for obstructing the lawful activities of Ukrainian forces, disseminating information on the location of servicemen, and organizing mass riots. She stated she would file an appeal.
Clashes began on November 2 after unverified reports spread alleging that men were detained and tortured at the National Guard base. A crowd gathered at the site and smashed a National Guard bus. Military Ombudswoman Olha Reshetylova reported that an investigation into the circumstances of the incident was ordered.
Slidstvo.Info noted that Moloda, who introduced herself as the owner of Med-Prestige, disseminated the reports of unlawful detention. Journalists established that the private ambulance she used had not been in operation since 2023.
