Azov commander says unrest in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka plays into Russia's hands
Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov group within Ukraine's National Guard 1st Corps, says the clashes in the Kyiv Oblast village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka create a picture that benefits Russia. He urged people either to defend the country at the front or to help the front from the rear.
Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, commander of the Azov group of forces within the 1st Corps of Ukraine's National Guard, said that clashes in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka in Kyiv Oblast create a picture that suits Russia. He made the statement on Facebook while Ukraine continues to defend itself against Russia's invasion.
According to Prokopenko, all battalions, regiments and brigades of Azov are at the front and carry out combat missions around the clock. At the same time, he said, people who have no connection to defending the country, do not serve in the army and do not help the Defense Forces are engaged in sabotage in the rear, discrediting soldiers and producing an image that is advantageous to Russia.
The commander believes Russia wants to split Ukrainian society and the military, destabilize the situation in the country and tarnish the image of servicemen. In his view, what is unfolding in the information space around the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka satisfies all of these aims. He reminded readers that the state is fighting a hard war, so people should either defend the country at the front or help the front in the rear, rather than stage provocations and play into the enemy's hands.
Background
Police in Kyiv Oblast reported on 2 November a disturbance near a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, where servicemen of a National Guard unit are staying. National Guard commander Oleksandr Pivnenko and the leadership of the National Police arrived at the scene. Military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova said an inspection has been ordered to establish all the circumstances.
The Azov 1st Corps stated that the location housed mobilized personnel and soldiers detained after going absent without leave, who were awaiting assignment to military units and further service. A correspondent of Ukrainska Pravda reported gunshots and sirens coming from the yard of the house. The head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, is also reported to be at the scene.
