Lubinets has initiated an investigation into ’Skelia’ regiment: there is evidence that will be passed on to law enforcement agencies
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that on 25–26 June, representatives of his monitoring group carried out an inspection at the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia". According to him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, provided full cooperation for the inspection.
Lubinec spoke about this during the ‘Law Has a Voice’ press conference, which was dedicated to the results of his four years in office, according to Censor.NET, citing Suspilne.
"We were given the opportunity to speak to the servicemen stationed there in confidence. Moreover, it was we who decided who would speak to us, rather than being told who to speak to. As things stand, we are verifying information beyond that which has become publicly known through the journalistic investigation," said Lubinets.
Over 30 enquiries have been received regarding ‘The Skelia’
The Ombudsman also reported that, after he had publicly commented on the situation, more than 30 complaints regarding ‘The Rock’ were received in a single day.
"I will be ready to comment publicly on the findings once we have completed our investigation. But I can say that, based on the evidence we have seen so far, the case will be referred to the law enforcement authorities," said Lubinets.
He also reported that when his monitoring team arrived at the ‘Skelia’ military training centre, investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation, personnel from the military law enforcement service, staff from the specialised military prosecutor’s office and an inspection team from the General Staff were already working there. According to Lubinets, this signifies "the most thorough investigation possible by all the relevant authorities".
What led up to it?
- On 23 June, the publication ‘Babel’ reported that between the end of 2025 and the spring of 2026, at least 26 recruits died in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment ‘Skelia’. Journalists reported that most of the men who died had not even spent a month in the regiment. The official cause of death in most cases was pneumonia.
- For this article, journalists interviewed more than 30 witnesses. One of them, Oleksandr Zhikin, spoke about ‘The Chicken Coop’ — the informal name for the ‘Skelia’ distribution point, which is the first location for newly mobilised recruits. He ended up there after being issued with a mobilisation order whilst he was out to collect his substitution therapy tablets for drug addiction.
- Another anonymous source spoke of the punishment cells to which soldiers were sent for refusing to carry out various orders.
- For its part, the ‘Skelia’ regiment commented on the non-combat deaths of recruits and gave assurances of its cooperation with the investigation. The ‘Skelia’ regiment believes that the authors of the article are making ‘generalisations that reduce the unit’s history to isolated tragic incidents’. The regiment maintains that 18 of the 26 deaths mentioned in the article occurred in hospital or on the way there, and that the causes were linked to "illnesses or the generally poor state of health of those mobilised".
- The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) had previously announced that it had launched an investigation into alleged breaches at ‘Skelia’, which are being investigated as abuses of power or official authority committed under martial law, resulting in serious consequences.
- The Monitoring Group of the Ombudsman’s Office has stated that it will travel to the site to verify reports of possible torture of military personnel in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment ‘Skelia’.
- The 425th Separate Assault Regiment ‘Skelya’ has confirmed that 25 recruits have died.
