Officials from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) have notified two servicemen from the medical company of the “Skelia” regiment that they are under suspicion; according to the investigation, the two men beat and unlawfully detained two fellow soldiers in the Kirovohrad Region.
According to the SBI, in May 2026, the two soldiers were discharged from the hospital for violating established rules and sent to the unit’s medical facility. Afterward, the suspects decided to “punish” them on their own for the disciplinary violations.
They struck the victims numerous times and then locked them in a utility building, where they continued the abuse.
One of the soldiers lost consciousness. He was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, a broken nose, and other physical injuries.
The other victim was unlawfully detained for nearly another day. He was subsequently also taken to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, numerous contusions, and hematomas.
"Both suspects have been detained. They have been notified of their status as suspects in the torture and violation of statutory rules governing relations among military personnel, accompanied by the beating and abuse of several individuals (Part 2 of Article 127, Part 3 of Article 406 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported.
Notice of suspicion. Photo: State Bureau of Investigation
The penalties under these articles provide for up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The issue of imposing pretrial detention on the suspect is also being considered.
"The pretrial investigation is ongoing. As part of the proceedings, SBI investigators are also verifying specific reports of possible mistreatment of military personnel at the regiment’s deployment and training sites," the SBI added.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in May, “Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk” reported, citing its own sources, that in March, five servicemen from the “Skelia” unit died shortly after being mobilized. Some of them had served in the unit for less than two weeks.
As early as June, the publication “Babel” released an investigation stating that 26 deaths of recruits were recorded in the training units of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelia” from late fall 2025 to spring 2026. Some of the cases have medical diagnoses, while others are linked to suicides or injuries. The regiment and the Office of the Military Ombudsman offer differing assessments of the causes and circumstances of the incidents.
On June 24, the State Bureau of Investigation entered the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and launched an investigation following media reports of alleged torture and deaths of conscripts in the “Skelia” Assault Regiment.
At the same time, according to the agency, separate criminal proceedings regarding the beatings of servicemen in “Skelia” had already been initiated prior to the high-profile media coverage. Following the release of new information, SBI investigators are analyzing both new and existing materials from the criminal cases.
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