u/SerpentineLogic

June 23: https://babel.ua/en/texts/127938-the-skelya-assault-regiment-has-combat-merits-and-is-well-equipped-and-according-to-eyewitnesses-they-torture-and-beat-people-to-death-there-babel-s-investigation

> A battered head, torn arms, a cut lower back, dirty and broken fingers. In this condition, 35-year-old Oleksandr Semenov arrived at the Kropyvnytskyi hospital in January 2026. He said that he had escaped from the 425th separate assault regiment “Skelya”, where he had been mocked, beaten, tied to an ATV and dragged along the ground. In a video made by local doctors, the man said that he had witnessed at least nine suicides in the unit, briefly described their circumstances and named one of the deceased. The video, which is at the disposal of Babel, was shot on January 23, 2026, and a few days later Oleksandr Semenov died in the hospital. The official cause of death is pneumonia.

Article continues, investigating (well-substantiated) claims of abuse and hazing.

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25 June: https://babel.ua/en/news/128042-commander-of-the-skelya-regiment-yuriy-harkavy-was-suspended-after-the-babel-investigation-inspections-are-ongoing

> The commander of the 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya", Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Harkavy, was suspended from duty for the duration of the inspections following the Babel investigation into the deaths, torture, and abuse of mobilized personnel in the regimentʼs training centers.

> The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in a comment to Babel.

> Currently, law enforcement officers work in the unit, in particular, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is conducting a pre-trial investigation into the facts of possible illegal actions against the regimentʼs servicemen.

> Also, by decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, a comprehensive commission headed by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is working in "Skelya".