After the Babel investigation into the deaths and torture in the “Skelya” regiment, a press conference was held there. The main points

On June 23, Babel published a major investigation into the situation in the 425th Assault Regiment “Skelya”. We interviewed over 30 witnesses and counted 26 deaths in the regiment’s training centers over the past six months, as well as describing cases of torture and abuse of those undergoing training. On June 25, the regiment held a press conference.

The words of the representatives of "Skelya" are quoted by Radio Liberty, whose journalists were at the press conference.

The regiment does not agree with all the statements in the text of "Babel". They are convinced that everything that is said must be verified. In addition to the investigators who already work in the regiment, deputies also want to visit there.

The regiment stated that the servicemen mentioned in the article served in the unit and voluntarily left the unit. The head of the civil-military cooperation group Andriy Suray stated that the regiment confirmed 25 deaths in training centers in six months out of 26 that Babel had identified.

Of these, 24 occurred in the unit. One person from Babel’s text could not be identified — this person did not serve in “Skelya”; another one — was seconded to a training center not assigned to “Skelya”, where she fell ill and died.

Suray also stated that not all the facts presented in the article are true.

"There are also people listed there who we didnʼt have. As for suicide, there was a suicide. He complained that he felt bad without drugs. As for the suicides described by the soldier in the Babel article who went to the North-Eastern Front, they are unconfirmed. There were no nine murders during the weeks he served," he says.

• The soldier who described nine suicides is Oleksandr Semenov, who was beaten and brought to the hospital and died a few days later. The Babel article includes a video of Semenov in the hospital, where he tells how he was tortured in “Skelya”.

The press conference also answered questions about tying servicemen to an ATV. Communications officer Oleksiy Bratushchak noted that this would be the subject of a criminal investigation. However, regarding the video with Semenov, which was published by Babel, Bratushchak said that after the ATV, the person must have had more serious injuries.

Andriy Suray commented on the issue of some specific cases that Babel wrote about.

"Semenov committed a drug offense. On the third day, he was hospitalized. He came to his doctor for methadone. He showed his wounds, which looked like they were several hours old, not three days old. If any of his words are confirmed, people will be punished," he said.

Regarding the deceased Vitaliy Karat, the regiment had previously stated that he fell from a pine tree, was hospitalized with pneumonia, and an X-ray also revealed a broken rib. Suray noted that the police should investigate the data on other injuries the man suffered.

• Vitaliyʼs sister Olesya Piskunova claims that before his death, her brother told her personally that he was constantly beaten. And they sent him to the hospital only when he became completely ill.

As for Dmytro Koval, who was officially diagnosed as having died of unspecified cardiomyopathy, a regimental spokesman said that he “out of his own convictions” refused to eat, did not follow orders, did not exercise, and did not go to the canteen. He was taken to a psychiatric hospital, where the doctor declared the man healthy and discharged him.

"The doctors gave him IVs to support him, but unfortunately, his body couldnʼt take it. The injuries were during resuscitation, the broken ribs were during resuscitation. And the investigation established that yes, such injuries do happen. The investigation did not establish any connection between his death and violent acts," said Suray.

• Three witnesses with whom Babel spoke say that Dmytro Koval was silent and frightened, praying for six to seven hours a day and refusing to eat at all. Some of those interviewed suggest that the man was fasting. Others say that he was protesting. The witnesses spent about a week with him, bringing him food from the canteen, but he never touched it. For this, he was beaten every day. The man was beaten the hardest when he promised the guards that he would eat, but when he came to the canteen, he refused.
• “They hit him on the head a lot. They grabbed him by the neck and threw him, then lifted him up and threw him again. They kicked him, they punched him,” says the man, who has repeatedly witnessed the abuse.

• On June 24, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that it had launched an investigation following the Babel material, and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that a monitoring group from the Ombudsmanʼs Office was going to the site to conduct an investigation.
• On June 25, it became known that the commander of "Skelya", Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Harkavy, had been suspended from duty for the duration of the investigation.
• Also, by decision of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, a comprehensive commission headed by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is working in "Skelya".

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