MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The four people taken by ambulance from a basement near Kiev, who showed signs of illness and beatings, were servicemen detained for leaving heir units without authorization, Ukrainian National Guard Commander Alexander Pivnenko said.

"Four servicemen were taken for medical treatment. They had been detained after leaving their unit without authorization," Pivnenko, who arrived at the scene, said.

He added that the others were National Guard servicemen. However, the commander did not specify their status or condition at the private house. Pivnenko had a heated exchange with residents outside the building, who asked why the people inside had visible signs of beatings.

Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian media reported that armed men were holding around 40 people in the basement of a private house in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, a community on the outskirts of Kiev. An ambulance arrived at the scene after a medical worker said she had received a video showing that some of those in the basement are in critical condition and that many had injuries indicating torture. However, the armed men guarding the building refused to let the medical personnel inside.

Clashes broke out outside the house, and tear gas was used against residents who tried to break down the gate. Police later said that the building housed Ukrainian National Guard servicemen. The ambulance crew was allowed to take four sick people to hospital only after the case attracted widespread attention. One of them was in serious condition.