Yurii Harkavyi, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelia,” has been suspended from his post pending an investigation into possible unlawful actions against servicemembers of the unit.
According to Censor.NET, Oleksii Bratushchak, an officer of the 425th Regiment, made this announcement during an online conference.
“I contacted the relevant authorities to ask whether an order had already been issued appointing an acting commander, but I have not received a response at this time,” the publication quotes him as saying.
As a reminder, the scandal surrounding “Skelia” erupted after the publication "Babel" published an investigation stating that 26 recruits died in the regiment’s training units between the fall of 2025 and the spring of 2026.
Journalists claim that some of the deaths had medical causes, while others were linked to suicides or injuries.
One such case was the death of 35-year-old soldier Oleksandr Semenov. In January of this year, he was admitted to a hospital in Kropyvnytskyi. While at the hospital, he provided video testimony about incidents of beatings and being tied to equipment that took place at “Skelia.” A few days later, the soldier died in the hospital.
In May, Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk reported, citing its own sources, that in March, five “Skelia” soldiers died shortly after being mobilized. Some of them had served in the unit for less than two weeks.
Earlier today, June 25, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, announced that he had received information about possible torture and the establishment of detention facilities within the 245th Regiment. He announced the launch of an urgent investigation within the unit.
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