Investigation into "Skelya": a junior sergeant beat a chaplain and a lieutenant colonel, he faces up to 10 years in prison
Kyiv • UNN
DBR employees detained and notified a serviceman of the 425th Separate Assault Battalion "Skelya" of suspicion. He is suspected of beating two servicemen in the Kharkiv region.
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating possible facts of violence and mistreatment of servicemen in the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya". Law enforcement officers detained and notified of suspicion a serviceman suspected of beating two servicemen, reports UNN with reference to the SBI.
Details
As reported by the Bureau, separate criminal proceedings regarding the beating of servicemen were initiated even before the high-profile publication in the media. After the publication of new information, SBI investigators are analyzing new and existing materials of criminal proceedings, within which they are checking all possible facts of unlawful treatment in the unit. Currently, the investigation has obtained the first procedural results in one of these cases.
SBI officers detained and notified of suspicion a serviceman who, at the time of the crimes, was serving in the "Skelya" regiment. He is charged with beating two servicemen in the Kharkiv region
According to the SBI, the first incident occurred in May 2025 near one of the villages in the Izium district. Servicemen from another unit, who had previously been performing combat missions, arrived at the temporary deployment site of "Skelya".
A conflict arose between the servicemen over the placement of personnel and equipment. A military chaplain tried to calm the parties and suggested resolving the situation at the command level.
According to the investigation, the suspect struck the chaplain several times in the face with his fist, causing him moderate bodily injuries. The victim was hospitalized with a concussion and a fractured jaw.
The second episode occurred in June 2025 in the city of Barvinkove. The suspect attacked a lieutenant colonel who was senior to him in military rank.
The junior sergeant knocked the officer off his feet, then began striking him with his hands and feet on the head and torso, breaking the victim's rib.
The serviceman has been detained. He has been notified of suspicion of violating statutory rules of relations between servicemen, which caused moderate bodily injuries, as well as violence against a superior, committed under martial law — under Part 2 of Article 406 and Part 4 of Article 405 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
The SBI added that the sanctions of the articles provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years.
The issue of choosing a preventive measure in the form of detention is being decided.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
Investigators continue active work to verify other possible facts of physical violence, illegal restriction of freedom, threats with weapons, mistreatment, and failure to provide medical care to servicemen at the distribution and training sites of the "Skelya" regiment
Recall
Ukrainian media reported that from the end of 2025 to the spring of 2026, at least 26 people died among the recruits of the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya". These are deaths not as a result of combat operations.
At the same time, the regiment stated that the media article raised a number of serious issues that require careful study and verification, but they disagree with the generalizations that reduce the regiment's history to individual tragic incidents.
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 servicemen in the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya".
The commander of the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya", Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Harkavyi, has been suspended from performing his duties for the duration of the investigation.