Command Did Not Report Torture in the Skelya Regiment, — State Bureau of Investigation
The State Bureau of Investigations has not received any reports from the military command or other law enforcement agencies regarding possible instances of torture in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya.”
Criminal cases were opened following complaints from the victims themselves.
“We did not receive any information from the military command regarding negative situations in ‘Skelya.’ There were certain complaints from the victims, and proceedings were immediately opened based on them,” Sukhachov noted.
At the same time, when asked whether information about possible offenses had been received from other agencies, the head of the State Bureau of Investigation stated that no such reports had been received either.
“Unfortunately, no. Although both the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies have relevant departments that should possess such information and respond to it in a timely manner,” he said.
According to Sukhachov, the DBR’s regional office in Poltava is currently investigating five criminal cases involving the 425th Special Forces Battalion “Skelya,” which were opened in 2025 and early 2026.
In addition, following the publication of a journalistic investigation, a sixth criminal case was registered, which is being handled by the DBR’s Main Investigative Directorate.
“The latest, the sixth, was registered with the DBR’s Main Investigative Directorate following the publication of the journalistic investigation,” the bureau’s director said.
He added that in the near future, all six criminal cases will be consolidated into one, and the further investigation will be conducted by a joint investigative team comprising employees of the SBI’s central office and regional directorate.
“The joint investigative team, consisting of staff from the central office and the regional office, will organize the further investigation,” concluded Oleksiy Sukhachov.
This was stated by DBR Director Oleksiy Sukhachov in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Earlier, the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” stated that recruits must contact their families at least once every three days during training. They say this rule was introduced following complaints from families and also refuted reports of allegedly mandatory calls on speakerphone.
The 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” stated that its troops thwarted an attempt to breach the state border in the Kozacha Lopana area of Kharkiv Oblast. According to the unit, a Russian sabotage and assault group attempted to infiltrate Ukrainian territory but was eliminated.
