Exhumations may be conducted in case involving non-combat deaths of soldiers from 425th "Skelia" Regiment, - Deputy Prosecutor General Leshchenko
Forensic medical examinations have already been ordered to determine the causes of non-combat deaths among servicemen of the 425th "Skelia" Regiment. However, if the testimony of relatives or eyewitnesses regarding acts of violence contradicts the medical records, an exhumation may be conducted.
Deputy Prosecutor General Andrii Leshchenko made this statement in a comment to Censor.NET.
Details
"In such cases, forensic examinations have been ordered. They will be conducted either based on documentary evidence or, if warranted, the need for exhumation of the deceased will be determined. For example, relatives or witnesses may state that they saw bruises on the body, that the deceased complained of the use of force, that unlawful methods of coercion were used, or that torture occurred, but the medical records of the unit, military unit, or military hospital do not contain such information; accordingly, these discrepancies can be resolved by conducting an exhumation and ordering an additional repeat forensic medical examination," he said. "This process is ongoing; it is not being ignored. We are committed to determining the cause of death."
Responding to a question about whether the condition of service members upon admission to the hospital is being verified—given that in some cases the official cause of death is listed as an illness, such as pneumonia, cardiovascular problems, or other conditions—the Deputy Prosecutor General noted: "This is fairly easy to verify, since the medical facility is required to document any injuries and the condition of the person admitted for treatment.
And this must be reflected in the medical record. An initial examination is conducted by the appropriate medical personnel, and any visible bodily injuries are documented. This is required by the relevant instructions."
Charges against "Skelia"
- On June 23, the publication "Babel" reported that from late 2025 through spring 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 serves as the first stop for newly mobilized recruits. He ended up there after being issued a mobilization order while he was on his way to pick up medication for drug addiction treatment.
- Another anonymous source spoke about the punishment cells where 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 pledged to cooperate with the investigation. "Skelia" believes that the authors of the article are making "generalizations that reduce the unit’s history to isolated tragic incidents." The regiment asserts that 18 of the 26 deaths mentioned in the article occurred in the hospital or on the way there, and that the causes were related to "illnesses or the generally poor health of the conscripts."
- The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) had previously announced that it had launched an investigation into alleged violations 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 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 "Skelia" has confirmed that 25 recruits have died.
- The report that there are 2,000 drug-addicted service members in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" is not true.
"Skelia" also commented on new information from the publication "Babel" regarding seven more of its service members who died during basic military training. The command emphasized that it is striving to "reduce to zero" non-combat casualties.
