225th Assault Regiment debunked false reports about "blocking detachments" near Huliaipole and revealed details of events of 2025: 781 soldiers from Territorial Defense Forces went on AWOL
The 225th Separate Assault Regiment has refuted false claims regarding the existence of "blocking detachments" within the Defense Forces and revealed details about the stabilization of the front near Huliaipole in 2025.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the press centre of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment.
Loss of command posts and withdrawal of TDF units near Huliaipole
"In light of information circulating on social media regarding preparations for an investigation into the alleged presence of blocking detachments within Defense Forces units, we consider it necessary to address any additional questions that may arise regarding the stabilization of the situation near Huliaipole. It was precisely there that units of the 225th Assault Regiment were rapidly redeployed following the Kursk Offensive," the statement reads.
The regiment noted that although the events near Huliaipole in 2025 have already been discussed repeatedly in the media, new details continue to emerge from time to time.
Toward the end of that period, following a decision by the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the 225th Assault Regiment was redeployed to the area near Huliaipole after the Territorial Defense Forces units holding that sector lost control.
The 225th SAR emphasizes that the enemy had already crossed the Yanchur River near the villages of Poltavka and Maliivka, and the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade was retreating.
In just one month, nearly 300 km² of territory was lost near Huliaipole.
"The Territorial Defense Forces units lost control of 20 command posts. Along with them, they lost control of 9 company-level strongpoints, 18 platoon-level strongpoints, and the remaining positions.
A Russian video filmed at one of the 20 captured Ukrainian command posts was visible to everyone on both Russian public pages and Ukrainian social media. In fact, the officers abandoned the command post, leaving behind maps, computers containing documentation, and data on TDF unit personnel. This is the first time in the history of the war in Ukraine that the enemy has entered an active battalion command post and filmed its own propaganda video," the statement reads.
Furthermore, as noted, amid this chaos, the TDF infantry remained at their positions without communication, without an understanding of the situation, and without command. As a result, the TDF soldiers decided to abandon their positions (AWOL) without authorization.
"In fact, 781 soldiers from the TDF left their positions without authorization. Virtually the entire brigade withdrew from the front line. And this movement began at positions already occupied by assault units of the 225th SAR, which, on the one hand, were engaging the enemy to halt its advance, and on the other, were encountering groups of people in ‘Multicam’ uniforms and armed with weapons who were moving toward them," the statement reads.
As further noted, the assault troops of the 225th SAR do not recognize the faces of the Territorial Defense Forces personnel.
Actions in accordance with the Ukrainian Armed Forces Statute and verification for the presence of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups
"At the same time, we have repeatedly documented instances where the enemy wore Ukrainian uniforms and attempted to pass themselves off as our soldiers. In this situation, the 225th’s assault troops acted in accordance with the Ukrainian Armed Forces Statute and the rules of engagement: first, they issued a verbal command to stop; then, they fired warning shots into the air; after which they detained and disarmed the servicemen for subsequent handover to the Military Law Enforcement Service for identification.
To prevent casualties among the Territorial Defense Forces personnel during an unauthorized departure from their positions, commanders of the 225th SAR had to manually establish communication with the brigade commander of the TDF and with Military Ombudsman Olha Reshetilova, who was working in the units at that time and was aware of the mass withdrawal from positions. No TDF servicemember was injured as a result of so-called "friendly fire." Therefore, any statements regarding blocking detachments are untrue," the assault unit emphasizes.
Communication with the Ombudsman and coordination between units
After the 225th SAR stabilized the situation in this area, certain units of the 108th TDF Brigade came under the regiment’s command.
"They were involved in joint exercises with our servicemen. However, even then a conflict arose, which was reported by leading media outlets: the Territorial Defense soldiers’ commanders had not warned them about the change in chain of command. This lack of communication was promptly resolved by Military Ombudsman Olha Reshetilova," the 225th Regiment concluded.
