Commander of the 'Skelya' Regiment Yuriy Harkavy Suspended During Investigation of Torture and Deaths of Military Personnel

The commander of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya", Yuriy Harkavy, has been suspended from his duties during the investigation of information about possible torture and deaths of servicemen. This was announced by representatives of the regiment during a press conference, reports Radio Svoboda.

Who will temporarily perform the duties of the regiment commander has not yet been determined.

Reason for the investigation

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, announced a check regarding possible serious violations of servicemen's rights in the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya".

According to the ombudsman, the reports concern possible use of torture, establishment of places of detention, and driving servicemen to suicide.

"Any human rights violations, especially under martial law, are unacceptable and require immediate response," emphasized Lubinets.

In this regard, he appealed to the State Bureau of Investigation and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the defense sector demanding a full, objective, and impartial investigation.

The SBI reported that investigators have entered relevant information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of power or official authority by a military official committed under martial law conditions causing serious consequences.

Additionally, Lubinets held a working meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. According to him, the Military Law Enforcement Service has already begun clarifying the circumstances.

The ombudsman also reported that the monitoring group of the Commissioner’s Office has gone to the regiment to conduct an inspection. Lubinets said he received assurances of full cooperation with the independent monitoring group’s work.

What the military ombudsman said

Military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova stated that she supports the need for management decisions regarding the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya" and advocates for its reorganization.

According to her, information about possible beatings and abuse of servicemen began arriving as early as May-June 2025. Initially, it concerned the beating of a journalist transferred to the regiment, then a chaplain of an adjacent brigade, and later the battalion command being reformed into the 425th SAR. After that, she noted, it became clear that the problem was systemic.

Reshetylova reported that in June 2025 representatives of the President's Office and the Military Law Enforcement Service conducted an inspection at the unit’s training ground. According to her, 22 servicemen were taken from the regiment who gave testimonies about beatings, confirmed by polygraph tests. A group of instructors suspected of organizing abuse at the training grounds was also identified.

At the same time, the ombudsman stated that after the inspection, no proper measures were taken to hold those responsible accountable and to prevent similar cases in the future. According to her, the investigation results are still absent.

She also reported that since the establishment of the Military Ombudsman’s Office, nine reports of possible crimes in the "Skelya" regiment have been sent to law enforcement agencies.

Furthermore, according to Reshetylova, the office has established cooperation with the unit’s command for prompt response to servicemen’s complaints. In particular, agreements were reached to prevent individuals identified as systemic violators of military rights from working with personnel, and regular communication between soldiers and their families was ensured. According to her, complaints from relatives about lack of contact with servicemen have decreased by 73%.

Problems with regiment management

Separately, Reshetylova drew attention to the issue of servicemen with dependencies. According to her, several months ago about two thousand individuals receiving substitution maintenance therapy were identified in the unit. She noted that according to current regulations, such servicemen should not serve in assault units.

Commenting on the situation in the regiment, the ombudsman emphasized that "Skelya" in terms of numbers actually corresponds to a division, but continues to operate within the regiment’s organizational structure.

"The size of 'Skelya', as has been said, is approximately that of a division. Yet they still have the staff of a regiment. Managing such a number of personnel with a regiment’s staff is simply unrealistic; even if you want to control everything, it’s impossible. Management decisions are definitely needed here," she noted.

According to Reshetylova, she discussed this issue with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. He, she said, believes the situation could improve if a separate command for assault units is created.

At the same time, the ombudsman herself opposes the creation of a separate branch of the military. In her opinion, this could lead to the scaling of negative practices and human rights violations. Instead, she proposed creating separate assault units within each corps.

"I consistently believe that creating a separate branch of the military will lead to the scaling of negative practices and human rights violations. From my point of view, the optimal solution would be to create separate assault units in each corps. This would allow the corps commander to exercise control and form the culture of behavior and discipline within the unit. In any case, decisions regarding assault units must be well-considered and thought out," Reshetylova emphasized.

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