The “Skelia” assault unit is under investigation following allegations of abuse, torture, and non-combat fatalities of recruits
The commander of one of Ukraine’s largest assault units has been suspended after a media investigation reported torture, abuse, and multiple non-combat deaths among recruits.
Lt. Col. Yury Harkaviy, who heads the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelia” (formerly “Skala”), was removed from duty pending inspections and investigations, the army’s communications service announced on Thursday.
”If the facts of criminal offenses mentioned in the publications are confirmed, the guilty will definitely be held accountable in accordance with the law,” the Ukrainian army said in a statement.
The move follows an investigation by the Ukrainian outlet Babel published on Tuesday, which alleged severe mistreatment of mobilized soldiers at the regiment’s training sites. Citing relatives, former service men, and current soldiers, the outlet said at least 25 recruits had died in or after passing through the unit’s training camps over the past six months.
The report described beatings, forced confinement, recruits being bound with tape or handcuffs, and cases of soldiers with serious health problems, addiction or psychiatric conditions being sent into assault training after military medical commissions declared them fit for service.
One former recruit, Aleksandr Semyonov, reportedly arrived at a hospital in January with head wounds, lacerated arms, broken fingers, and abrasions, claiming that he had been beaten and dragged along the ground after being tied to a quad bike. He died days later, with pneumonia listed as the official cause of death.
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation responded to the report by opening a pre-trial probe into possible abuse of authority by military officials under martial law.
”Skelia” has denied systematic abuse, declaring that the allegations require verification. The regiment said that many of the reported deaths occurred in hospitals or on the way to medical facilities, and attributed some fatalities to illnesses or poor health among mobilized soldiers.
The unit has also noted that many allegations came from soldiers who had refused service, deserted, or violated discipline.
The scandal comes as Ukraine faces deepening manpower shortages after more than four years of conflict. Kiev has tightened mobilization rules and expanded compulsory recruitment, while Ukrainian media have repeatedly reported violent draft raids, deaths in conscription centers, and cases of seriously ill men being declared fit for service.
Moscow has repeatedly said Kiev is running out of willing soldiers and is relying on coercive mobilization to replenish battlefield losses. Russian officials have accused the Ukrainian authorities of sacrificing their own population to keep fighting on behalf of Western backers.
