In 2025–2026, SBI received 258 complaints regarding violations at "Skelia". DOCUMENT
In 2025 and 2026, the State Bureau of Investigation received 258 complaints regarding violations at the 425th SAR "Skelia."
This is stated in the SBI’s response to a request from Censor.NET.
What is known?
Based on the results of their review, the Bureau launched pretrial investigations into a number of criminal cases.
"209 complaints were forwarded to the relevant units of the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine; 2 complaints were added to the case files of criminal proceedings already underway; and 13 complaints are currently under review," the State Bureau of Investigation reported.
At the same time, information regarding 30 complaints was not entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations due to a lack of sufficient evidence indicating the presence of signs of a criminal offense.
"The complainants were provided with appropriate explanations. One must also take into account the particular sensitivity of such issues in wartime. Excessive or premature disclosure of certain details could affect the country’s defense capabilities, be exploited by the enemy in information operations, and harm the interests of the investigation and the state. However, this does not mean that the investigation will be incomplete or superficial. All circumstances will be examined thoroughly, objectively, and within the bounds of the law," the agency explained.
What led up to this?
- On 23 June, the publication "Babel" reported that between late 2025 and spring 2026, at least 26 recruits from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" had died. 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 report, the journalists interviewed over 30 witnesses. One of them, Oleksandr Zhykin, spoke about ‘The Chicken Coop’ — the informal name for ‘Skelia's’ sorting centre, which is the first location for newly arrived conscripts. He ended up there after being issued with a military ID card whilst he was out collecting tablets for substitution therapy for drug addiction.
- Another anonymous interviewee 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 assured its cooperation with the investigation. "Skelia" 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 report occurred in hospital or en route to it, and that the causes were linked to "illnesses or the generally poor state of health of the conscripts".
- Previously, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) had already announced that it had launched an inquiry into alleged violations within "Skelia", which are being investigated as abuses of power or official authority committed under martial law, resulting in serious consequences.
- A monitoring group from the Ombudsman’s Office has stated that it will travel to the site to verify information regarding the possible torture of servicemen in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia".
- The 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" has confirmed that 25 recruits have died.
- Reports of two thousand drug-addicted servicemen in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" are untrue.
