Drapaty ordered an inspection of the 225th Assault Regiment following an investigation into bullying
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatiy ordered the Military Law Enforcement Service to conduct an investigation into the 225th Separate Assault Regiment following a journalistic investigation by Texty.org.ua. The report addressed the possible use of so-called “barrier units,” as well as instances of beatings and torture of military personnel.
This was reported on Tuesday, August 4, by the author of the investigation, Anna Kalyuzhna, who received a response from the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Main Communications Directorate.
According to her, they will investigate the possibility of criminal orders being issued and instances of violence within the regiment. The Armed Forces of Ukraine told the journalist that they would investigate whether the command had indeed issued orders to disarm soldiers or to shoot at them in the event of a retreat, and would also look into instances of violence against soldiers in the regiment.
The agency also added that if the facts of illegal actions are confirmed, “those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with current legislation.”
“As of now, this is the only official response from the state regarding the investigation. I am not aware of any criminal proceedings opened by the relevant law enforcement agencies based on the facts described by witnesses and victims in the article,” the journalist wrote.
On July 30, the publication Texty.org.ua published an article by Anna Kalyuzhna detailing beatings, unlawful detention, and threats of the use of weapons during an unauthorized withdrawal from positions in the 225th Separate Assault Regiment. The publication provides an audio recording in which a person with a voice resembling that of regiment commander Oleg Shiryaev orders to open fire on soldiers leaving their positions without orders and states that under such circumstances, “there are no ‘one of our own.’”
“We’re not hiding the problem”: The Skelya regiment stated that it is tightening control over commanders’
actions. Magura, the regiment’s executive commander, stated that in 2025, the 225thth Regiment opened fire on its own soldiers in the Belgorod region
. Shiryayev himself, in a comment to Texty, said that his words did not constitute an order to shoot at his own men, but rather referred to “the rules for the movement of troops from different units and methods of coordination to identify friendly forces”—in other words, Russians in disguise could be posing as Ukrainian soldiers.
The regiment denied rumors about the use of blocking detachments during the stabilization of the combat situation near Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2025. “No soldier of the Territorial Defense Forces was injured as a result of so-called friendly fire. Therefore, any statements regarding blocking detachments are untrue,” the regiment noted.
They also stated that the 225th Territorial Defense Regiment was redeployed to the area near Huliaipole after the territorial defense units holding that sector lost control.
Source: Anna Kalyuzhna
Earlier, Drapatiy had relieved one of Syrsky’s top generals of duty.
The new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatiy, has suspended the dismissal of Shamil Krutkov, commander of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodny Yar.” Previously, the decision to remove him from office had been prepared based on the results of an internal investigation approved by then-Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Following Mykhailo Drapatiy’s appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Andriy Malinovsky concluded his temporary assignment to the General Staff and returned to his regular duties.
