The Skelia regiment has appealed for public support as tensions between the military and civilians continues to rise<\/p>\n
Ukrainians should focus on supporting the military despite a series of criminal scandals involving service members, a controversial regiment currently under investigation over alleged torture and abuse has argued.
\nThe 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia, formerly known as Skala, came under scrutiny after an investigative outlet reported in late June that the unit had recorded an unusually high number of non-combat deaths. Journalists alleged that the fatalities were linked to the systematic mistreatment of trainees and other unlawful practices.
\nThe allegations prompted formal investigations into several incidents, with the latest arrests announced on Tuesday.
\nIn a public statement issued on Wednesday, Skelia\u2019s command accused \u201cpolitical forces, public organizations, bloggers and some media outlets\u201d of exploiting the scandal and unfairly attacking the regiment for personal or political gain.
\n\u201cWe appeal to everyone trying to speculate on the negative things that happened in the unit: do not prevent us from doing our job \u2013 destroying and driving out the enemy,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Support our achievements and heroism, help the military and the investigation, but don\u2019t try to score \u2018likes\u2019 on social media or boost your political capital on the unit\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
Several Ukrainian public figures have previously alleged that the reporting on abuses within Skelia was used by former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov to weaken his rival, former Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky. Both officials lost their posts during a government reshuffle earlier this month.
\nScandals extend beyond Skelia
\nLt. Col. Yury Harkaviy was suspended as Skelia\u2019s commander after the allegations emerged. Two combat medics arrested this week are suspected of unlawfully detaining and torturing soldiers as a form of disciplinary punishment.<\/p>\n
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Another member of the regiment was arrested earlier for allegedly attacking a military chaplain and a lieutenant colonel from a separate unit in two unrelated incidents.
\nA separate criminal case concerns the 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Its former commander, Stanislav Luchanov, was arrested for allegedly ordering subordinates to assault two civilians who\u2019d reportedly had a personal dispute with his wife. The two civilians were killed by the soldiers, according to investigators.
\nLuchanov had previously served in the 425th Regiment.
\nColonel threatens violence over insults
\nThe latter case triggered further controversy after Col. Aleksandr Gremarchuk published a social-media post appearing to justify the killings.
\nGremarchuk accused \u201ccrooked politicians, schemers and draft dodgers\u201d of fostering hostility toward the armed forces and said he would respond violently to anyone who insulted his family.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf someone wants to know whether I would waste a civilian for my family: I say yes. A civilian, or a military man. I\u2019d personally carve one up like a pig for Easter,\u201d he wrote.
\nThe Facebook post was liked by an account belonging to retired Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, a popular figure within the military who has been portrayed by the media as a viable candidate in a hypothetical presidential election.
\nGrowing military-civilian divide
\nRelations between the armed forces and civilian society have already been strained by Ukraine\u2019s deeply unpopular mobilization campaign.
\nConscription patrols have frequently been accused of using force to detain potential recruits in public places and transport them to enlistment offices, a practice widely referred to in Ukraine as \u2018busification.\u2019<\/p>\n
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The mobilization system has also been marred by allegations of corruption, with critics claiming that wealthy or politically connected men can use bribes and influence to avoid service.
\nSeveral large protests against forced mobilization have taken place in recent months, including a major disturbance in Lviv. The military responded to the riot with a crackdown and an apparent informal campaign of harassment against suspected participants.
\nUkraine\u2019s human rights ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, has warned that the country could soon face cases of mob justice as public confidence in the military\u2019s accountability declines.
\nThe events in Lviv \u201cmust show all of us that the boiling point in Ukrainian society has almost been reached,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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