Skelia Regiment Confirms Some Of Deaths Of Servicemembers Previously Reported By Media

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Andrii Surai, Head of the Civil-Military Cooperation Group of the regiment, during an online press conference, Ukrinform's correspondent reports.

"Out of the 26 people who were mentioned as having died during basic military training, we could not identify one person at all. In other words, this individual has no connection to our unit. Therefore, we can no longer confirm all 26 cases and are now talking about 25," he said, stressing that "each case and each individual must be examined separately as part of the review."

At the same time, Surai added that one of the 25 cases involved a servicemember who had been transferred to a training center belonging to another unit, where he fell ill and later died in hospital.

Commenting on information provided by Military Ombudswoman Olha Reshetylova regarding two thousand Skelia servicemembers allegedly receiving substitution therapy as drug addicts, Surai said the information was inaccurate.

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"We do not have two thousand drug addicts. The information voiced by Olha Reshetylova referred to a situation several months ago. A significant portion of those servicemembers are no longer drug-dependent because they completed rehabilitation programs. Fortunately, many are no longer addicted and are carrying out missions alongside other mobilized soldiers. We helped them return to normal life," said the head of the regiment's civil-military cooperation group.

According to him, from a legal standpoint, none of the regiment's servicemembers are considered drug addicts, as they arrive with a Military Medical Commission (MMC) assessment stating that they are healthy and fit for service. Surai noted that when the regiment becomes aware of addiction issues, the mobilized personnel undergo rehabilitation followed by a physical training program.

"Once they complete treatment, they begin basic military training, and in most cases the person joins the ranks," he said.

Surai also added that no servicemember in the regiment is currently receiving substitution therapy.

As reported earlier, the online publication Babel published an investigation into the Skelia assault regiment on June 23. Journalists interviewed 30 witnesses, mostly relatives of individuals mobilized into the regiment, as well as around a dozen soldiers who either fled the unit or are still serving there.

The publication claims to have documented 26 deaths in the regiment's training centers over the past six months and also alleges cases of torture and abuse against trainees.

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is conducting a pre-trial investigation into possible unlawful actions against servicemembers of the regiment.

Photo: Skelia Regiment

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