The State Bureau of Investigation has opened criminal proceedings over possible torture and deaths of soldiers in the 425th Assault Regiment “Skelya”

The State Bureau of Investigation has initiated official criminal proceedings regarding possible facts of torture, abuse and abuse of official authority in the 425th separate assault regiment “Skelya”.

The basis for opening the case was numerous testimonies of cruel treatment of mobilized servicemen and mass deaths in the training centers of the unit.

The information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – abuse of authority or official authority by a military official in conditions of martial law. The procedural management of the case is carried out by the Dnipro Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the field of defense.

The resonance surrounding the unit intensified after a journalistic investigation by the Babel publication, which reported on 26 deaths of recruits in the training centers of “Skelya” over the past six months. According to official documents, the cause of death is mostly pneumonia, but relatives of the deceased and eyewitnesses claim systematic violence.

Witnesses describe the so-called “chicken coop” distribution point as a place of detention in inhumane conditions: mobilized soldiers are stripped, searched, kept under armed guard, and physical violence and solitary confinement are used.

Individual cases that have attracted special attention of the investigation concern the deaths of servicemen with chest injuries, broken ribs, and numerous bruises.

The situation was also commented on by the head of the Military Ombudsman’s Office, Olga Reshetylova, who stated the systemic nature of violence in the unit. According to her, the first cases of beatings were documented back in 2025, and 22 servicemen who confirmed the facts of ill-treatment have already been evacuated from the training ground.

At the same time, the command of the “Skelya” regiment categorically denies the accusations and states that most of the deaths are related to illnesses of the mobilized, and some of the witnesses are violators of discipline or left the military unit without permission.

The investigation is ongoing. The State Bureau of Investigation emphasizes that all the facts announced will receive a legal assessment.