LUGANSK, November 4. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities began setting up unofficial prisons immediately following the 2014 coup d’etat, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS, adding that the country has turned into a ghetto since then.

"As for illegal prisons, this story began back after the 2014 coup d’etat. A vast amount of evidence has now been gathered showing that the criminal authorities in Kiev are establishing them in violation not only of international humanitarian law but even of their own domestic legislation. In fact, Kiev is persecuting its own citizens. The state has turned into a ghetto," he said.

At present, a diverse range of individuals, including civilians, are being held in unofficial prisons in Ukraine, Marochko stressed. "Among the people detained in unofficial prisons in Ukraine are not only those who were forcibly conscripted, but also civilians," he said.

Ukrainian media outlets reported on November 2 that armed men had been holding about 40 people in the basement of a private house in a Kiev suburb. An ambulance crew arrived at the scene, but guards refused to let the medical workers into the building. Clashes broke out outside, and when outraged local residents tried to force open the gate, tear gas was used against them. It was only after the incident attracted widespread public attention that four people bearing signs of beatings were allowed to leave.

Police said later that members of the Ukraine’s National Guard were stationed at the house. National Guard Commander Alexander Pivnenko claimed that the four injured men were army deserters. He described the house as a temporary deployment point while acknowledging that conscripts were also being held there. Mass protests erupted outside the house, promoting the National Guard to allow all the detained men to be taken to medical facilities for examinations.