The commander of the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya", Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Harkavyi, has been suspended from his duties pending an investigation into possible violations of the rights of military personnel in the regiment. This was stated by the regiment's spokesman Oleksiy Bratushchak during an online press conference, reports UNN.
Details
As Bratushchak reported, Yuriy Harkavyi was suspended from his duties pending an investigation into possible violations of the rights of military personnel in the regiment.
Addendum
Ukrainian media reported that from the end of 2025 to the spring of 2026, at least 26 people died among the new recruits of the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya". These refer to deaths not resulting from combat actions.
At the same time, the regiment stated that the media article raised a number of serious issues that require thorough study and verification, but at the same time, the regiment disagrees with the generalizations that reduce the regiment's history to isolated tragic incidents.
"We want to draw attention to the fact that of the 26 mentioned deaths, 18 occurred in the hospital or on the way to the hospital, not in the regiment. And these deaths are indeed related to illnesses or the generally poor health condition of the mobilized. We also draw the attention of journalists that the 'Skelya' regiment is not involved in the mobilization of conscripts. We receive reinforcements from the TCC exclusively with positive conclusions from the MMC, which are official documents. And we have to work with those who, in one way or another, ended up in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,"
They noted that among those mobilized in 2026, there are those who refuse to serve in any capacity in any position.
"Most of the statements cited in the article are based not on documents, investigation conclusions, or court decisions, but on testimonies of individuals who refused to undergo training, left military units without authorization, or otherwise violated the requirements of legislation and military discipline. We do not claim that such testimonies are automatically false. However, we believe they require particularly careful verification and cannot be considered indisputable evidence without confirmation by facts, documents, and the results of official investigations. The regiment's command is ready for maximum cooperation with law enforcement agencies, the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel, and other authorized structures. We are interested in a complete, objective, and impartial establishment of all the facts,"
On Wednesday, June 24, it became known that the State Bureau of Investigation had launched a pre-trial investigation into the facts published in the media regarding possible violence and abuse of power in the assault regiment "Skelya". The case was opened under the article on abuse of power under martial law.
The monitoring group of the Ombudsman's Office will check possible violations of the rights of military personnel in the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya".