Syrskyi called non-combat deaths in the "Skelya" regiment a "shameful story"

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi called the situation in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment, where 25 men died, a "shameful story" that should not exist in the Armed Forces of a country at war. Syrskyi stated this in an interview during the telethon, reports UNN.

Details

"This is a shameful story in the sense that it even exists in the Armed Forces of a country at war, where a serviceman should certainly not die in the rear, but should prepare to defend his state," Syrskyi said.

According to him, an investigation into the abuse and deaths of the "Skelya" soldiers was already underway.

"This happened in winter. And when this information appeared, both the Military Law Enforcement Service and the military ombudsman were working on it. We maintained interaction with him, and the commission examined these cases in detail and took measures. Several criminal cases were opened specifically regarding this regiment, which are being processed," Syrskyi added.

He stated that the command believed that all "negative phenomena" in the regiment had been eliminated. According to him, the regiment commander reported that measures had been taken against all violators, and the people who discredited the regiment had been transferred to other units.

The Commander-in-Chief added that when the investigation materials were published in the media, a comprehensive commission was sent to the regiment, which included officers from the General Staff and the Military Law Enforcement Service. The commission was headed by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, General Shevchenko.

"Specific tasks have been identified: to investigate all possible locations where this could have occurred; to check all training grounds; to check all individuals who had previously committed offenses; to verify where they actually are. A decision regarding the command staff will be made after the commission's work," Syrskyi noted.

Reminder

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 are deaths not resulting from combat operations.

At the same time, the regiment stated that the media article raised a number of serious issues requiring thorough study and verification, but they disagree with the generalizations that reduce the regiment's history to isolated 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 his duties for the duration of the investigation.