Ground Forces on media investigation into Skelia: Violence is not tolerated, but verification takes time
The Command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that authorized bodies are already verifying information regarding the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" following media reports. At the same time, the command called on the public to avoid emotional assessments and premature conclusions until the official investigation is completed.
This is stated in a statement by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
Reaction of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The command stressed that neither any combat necessity, nor the high intensity of training, nor combat merits or the reputation of a unit gives anyone the right to abuse soldiers, conceal their injuries, or deny them medical treatment.
"The information set out in the publications requires neither emotional assessments nor formal comments, but proper legal verification. Authorized bodies are already working on the facts presented. It is they who must establish the circumstances, identify those responsible, and provide a legal assessment of the events," the statement said.
Skelia is already cooperating with the investigation
The situation is now being "kept under control," while the regiment itself, according to the statement, is providing the necessary support to the relevant bodies.
At the same time, the Ground Forces Command is asking the media and the public not to rush to conclusions, as the events in question took place six months ago, and collecting and verifying evidence requires time.
"This is necessary so that the final conclusions are accurate, lawful, and impartial," the Ground Forces said.
Appeal to witnesses and soldiers
To make the investigation as objective as possible, the Ground Forces called on servicemen, their families, and possible eyewitnesses not to remain silent about cases of abuse.
Anyone who has information about violence, concealment of injuries, or denial of medical treatment in the regiment is asked to immediately contact the Military Law Enforcement Service, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Military Ombudsman, the hotline of the Command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or the regiment’s official channels.
Background
- On June 23, Babel reported that from the end of 2025 to spring 2026, at least 26 recruits of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia had died. The journalists said most of the men who died had not spent even a month in the regiment. The official cause of death in most cases was pneumonia.
- For the article, journalists interviewed more than 30 witnesses. One of them, Oleksandr Zhykin, spoke about the "Kuriatnyk," the informal name of Skelia's distribution point, which is the first location for newly arrived mobilized men. The man ended up there after he was registered as absent without leave when he went to get pills for substitution therapy for drug addiction.
- Another anonymous source spoke about punishment cells where servicemen were sent for refusing to carry out various orders.
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For its part, the Skelia Regiment commented on the non-combat deaths of recruits and assured that it was cooperating with the investigation. Skelia believes that the authors of the article make "generalizations that reduce the history of the unit to individual tragic cases." The regiment claims that 18 of the 26 deaths mentioned in the article occurred in the hospital or on the way there, and that their causes were related to "illnesses or the generally poor health of the mobilized men."
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Earlier, the SBI had already announced that it had launched a check into alleged violations in Skelia, which are being investigated as abuse of authority or official powers committed under martial law and causing grave consequences.
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A monitoring group from the Ombudsman’s Office said it would go to the site to verify information about possible torture of servicemen in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia."
