"The Rock" Responds to Allegations Regarding the Deaths of Conscripts
The 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” has denied allegations that it beat conscripts who later died, stating that the causes of death were primarily related to pre-existing medical conditions or accidents. The unit emphasizes that it is cooperating with the investigation and wants a full investigation of every case without exception. This is stated in the regiment’s statement.
The 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” responded to a journalistic investigation into the deaths of five conscripted soldiers who died shortly after being drafted, stating that they do not agree with the allegations of beatings, instead insisting that in most cases, the deaths were due to serious but previously undiagnosed illnesses or tragic circumstances during service.
The regiment emphasizes that it is open to investigations and is already cooperating with law enforcement to determine the exact causes of each death, since, in their words, “no case should remain without an objective investigation.”
Among the explanations provided by the command are various medical diagnoses which, according to their account, were not detected during the military medical examination: specifically, heart and lung pathologies, acute heart failure, chronic lung diseases, and other conditions that could have suddenly worsened during service.
Separately, “Skelya” comments on the death of Yaroslav Mokriy, stating that the cause was a severe lung disease that was not recorded during the medical examination, although the soldier’s relatives insist that he had health problems even before mobilization and went missing under strange circumstances. Regarding Petro Danyltsev, the regiment cites heart conditions, while the case of Vasyl Voychuk is attributed to a complex medical condition; they deny the signs of beatings pointed out by relatives, citing the results of initial investigations by law enforcement agencies.
The most controversial case in the statement is that of Vitalii Karat: the regiment claims that during the search, he allegedly tried to escape, was in a tree, and fell, sustaining injuries as a result, while his family speaks of beatings and contradictory circumstances surrounding his time in the unit.
Another case—that of Vasyl Tsyrko—is also attributed by the command to heart failure; however, the soldier’s family states that he had been in contact with reports of beatings, and the circumstances of his death came as a surprise to them and still raise questions for the investigation.
The regiment concludes that it understands the public outcry surrounding these stories, remains open to the media and inspections, and promises to continue providing updates on the results of investigations in each case.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to set the minimum salary for military personnel at 30,000 hryvnias, as stated by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
