MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. European institutions are doing everything in their power to shield the Ukrainian authorities from scandals such as the one surrounding a torture facility near Kiev. However, the controversy has already attracted significant international attention, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

He was responding to a TASS question about whether the Kremlin was surprised by the lack of reaction from Western human rights organizations to reports of torture in Ukraine.

"No, it is not surprising. It is not surprising; it is quite natural. European institutions are doing everything they can to protect their proteges from such scandals. At the same time, it is clear that the scandal has already attracted considerable international attention," Peskov said.

On November 2, Ukrainian media reported that armed individuals were holding approximately 40 people in the basement of a private house near Kiev. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene after a medic said she had received video footage showing several detainees in critical condition, with many displaying injuries consistent with torture. However, those guarding the property refused to let medical personnel inside.

Tensions escalated as local residents gathered outside the house. When some attempted to force open the gate, they were met with tear gas. Only after the incident attracted widespread public attention were medics allowed to remove four men bearing signs of beatings, one of whom was in serious condition.

Police later officially confirmed that the property was being used by personnel of the Ukrainian National Guard. National Guard Commander Alexander Pivnenko said the four injured men were soldiers who had deserted. He described the property as a "temporary deployment point" and acknowledged that mobilized servicemen were also being held there.

As mass protests erupted outside the building, the National Guard agreed to release all those being held so they could be taken to a medical facility for health assessments.

According to media reports, a 14-year-old boy was among the detainees. Eyewitnesses described his condition as dire.