An in-depth inspection is being conducted in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment ‘Skelya’ due to recent cases of violations of personnel rights and issues with the organization of medical care. Although the percentage of complaints in this unit does not exceed the overall army level, ‘Skelya’ is currently under special scrutiny.
This is reported by Finway
Systemic Deficiencies and Cases of Military Deaths
First Deputy Military Ombudsman Ruslan Tsygankov noted that the term ‘assault troops,’ which is widely used in society, does not have legal status. It refers to regiments and units that carry out assault tasks within the current structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Among the main problems are numerous appeals and complaints specifically regarding the 425th ‘Skelya’ Regiment. Currently, a comprehensive inspection is underway in the unit, with particular attention being paid to medical care issues, where systemic deficiencies have been identified that require urgent resolution.
Separately, investigations are being conducted into cases of military personnel deaths from pneumonia: according to official data, five people have died. In one case, a soldier died in the hospital after a week of hospitalization. Authorities are now determining whether the hospitalization was timely and in what condition he arrived at the medical facility.
Beatings, Control, and Command Response
In addition to issues with medical care, other serious violations have been recorded in the regiment, including cases of beatings. According to Tsygankov, reports of criminal acts are systematically forwarded to law enforcement agencies, and investigative actions are under the control of the ombudsman.
“Other violations we are documenting include beatings. We systematically send relevant reports of criminal acts to law enforcement agencies. There are proceedings that are under our control: we are trying to understand what is happening there and what the outcome of this criminal proceeding will be. I would say that there are certain ‘elements’ there. By ‘elements,’ I mean certain individuals who bring this situation to the point where it becomes public knowledge,” he said.
The command of the ‘Skelya’ regiment, according to Tsygankov, is open to cooperation, does not avoid dialogue, and takes criticism constructively. However, due to the large number of personnel, managing the unit is complicated, which affects the level of operational response to soldiers’ problems and may reflect on the observance of their rights.
Despite the heightened attention from society and the media, the number of complaints in ‘Skelya’ is not higher than in other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the situation surrounding the regiment is more noticeable due to public resonance.
Ruslan Tsygankov also emphasized that the ombudsman institution opposes the creation of a separate type of assault troops, as this could create new risks for the protection of military personnel’s rights. In his opinion, what remains key is not the name of the unit, but the level of management and standards of treatment towards personnel.
It is worth recalling that in March, Defense Minister Advisor Serhiy Sternenko accused the 425th ‘Skelya’ Regiment of sending soldiers on an unsuccessful assault in Pokrovsk, which resulted in significant losses. The regiment itself denied these accusations, emphasizing that the counterattack was planned with minimal losses.