Claims of a Ukrainian ‘torture chamber’ went viral. What really happened?

Claims that 40 forcibly conscripted men were being tortured in a house near Kyiv drew a crowd of about 500 people and spread widely online. Ukrainian officials say the apparent rescue attempt was staged, and the episode matters because anger over conscription tactics made the allegation convincing to many people and created a story that officials said could benefit Russia.

The woman at the centre of the incident, Valentyna Moloda, said she had seen men badly injured inside, but videos of the alleged victims were tagged as having been filmed three days earlier. Ukraine’s Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov said Moloda had surveyed the house with her driver beforehand; four men were later allowed to leave. The house had been used by the Azov Brigade to hold apprehended deserters, according to Azov, a unit with a controversial history that is now part of Ukraine’s National Guard.