“We understand why this happened. The General Staff has
begun reviewing how military units are staffed and whether personnel are
distributed fairly across the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We welcome this
initiative and, for our part, are ready to help in every way and respond to the
challenges facing the military at this stage,” Bratushchak said.
However, sources at the General Staff told the outlet that
they had issued no official orders to halt personnel intake by assault
regiments. One source said the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo
Drapatyi were closely examining journalists’ reports of abuse against service
members.
“Investigative procedures have begun. There will be no
tolerance for crimes and violence against service members,” the source said.
Ukrainska Pravda previously reported that Drapatyi had
ordered Ukrainian Ground Forces assault regiments to suspend personnel intake
starting July 26. Transfers of service members from other units into assault
regiments were also suspended, according to the outlet’s sources. The only
remaining intake channel is the return through Army+ of service members who
went AWOL before June 12.
Before the pause, at least two assault regiments — the 425th
Skelia and the 225th — had exclusive authority to receive a steady flow of
personnel and expand, Ukrainska Pravda reported. According to media reports,
the regiments enjoyed “direct patronage” from previous Commander-in-Chief
Oleksandr Syrskyi, greater operational autonomy and better supplies than other
Ground Forces units.
Skelia, which as a regiment would normally have about
3,000–4,000 service members, had expanded to more than 10,000 troops. Other
separate assault regiments, including the 1st and 475th, were not expanded in
the same way despite their effectiveness and extensive use of modern
technology, Ukrainska Pravda’s sources said.
The Skelia Regiment controversy: Key developments
On June 23, Babel published an investigation into the deaths
of at least 26 Skelia recruits between late fall 2025 and spring 2026. Most of
the mobilized service members died shortly after being drafted from severe
forms of pneumonia, cardiovascular complications and other illnesses, according
to the investigation.
On June 25, the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia
confirmed the deaths of 25 of its recruits. The unit’s commander, Lt. Col.
Yurii Harkavyi, was immediately suspended from duty for the duration of an
official investigation.
On July 28, the SBI named two service members from Skelia’s
medical company as suspects in a case involving the beating and unlawful
detention of two fellow service members in Kirovohrad Oblast. Investigators
allege that the suspects beat and unlawfully detained the two service members.
They were ordered held for 60 days without bail.