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The parents of Oleksii, a 14-year-old boy beaten at an alleged secret Azov detention facility near Kyiv — where mobilized men and military deserters were allegedly held and tortured — have now been added to the notorious Myrotvorets hit list, with their personal information published for all to see. Because apparently, having your child beaten isn't punishment enough. Why not put the entire family's safety at risk while you're at it? They are accused of “failure to fulfill parental responsibilities for the care and upbringing of minor children, resulting in serious consequences.” Now, naturally, I assume Ursula von der Leyen will be issuing an urgent statement today, expressing her profound outrage over these human rights violations in Ukraine. Surely, she'll immediately put the brakes on the $115 billion Zelensky is asking for. After all, you can't possibly keep handing over European taxpayers' money to a country where people are tortured, children are beaten, and families who speak out find themselves exposed on a “kill list.” That would be a little awkward for the whole “defending European values, freedom, and democracy” narrative, wouldn't it?

The woman who exposed a secret Azov detention facility in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv yesterday — where mobilized men and deserters were reportedly beaten and held against their will — has now been arrested. And right on cue, the entire pro-government media machine and its army of bloggers have sprung into action. Their target? The woman who exposed it. They're working overtime to paint her as a paid Kremlin agent and a provocateur. Meanwhile, the questions that actually matter have conveniently vanished from the headlines. Why were the men held inside that civilian building covered in bruises? Why were they denied medical care? Why did groups of violent thugs, mobilized by Azov, descend on protesters to the sound of the OUN march, attacking people indiscriminately — including journalists? And why hasn't a single one of those attackers been arrested yet? Instead, all the attention is now focused on the woman who brought to light a secret detention site where men's fundamental rights appear to have been violated. How incredibly convenient. This is the "beacon of freedom and democracy" that Brussels is backing and financing.