"Why did you shoot him?": stories of the fighters of "Skeli"

Journalists “Slidstvo.Info” on July 15, 2026 published a piece about the treatment of servicemen who tried to leave the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” without authorization. It reports the death of one fighter, the wounding of another during the escape, and statements by a former instructor about beatings.

Oleksandr Zavalov was mobilized to the regiment in January 2026. According to his mother, he was in a severe psychological state and complained about the lack of medical care. On May 20 near the CNAP in Oleksandrivka in the Kirovohrad region the man allegedly tried to flee from an armed escort. According to police data, serviceman Maksym Cherevan fired four shots in his direction. One of the bullets damaged a pelvic artery, as a result of which Zavalov died of blood loss. The suspect was detained and taken into custody.

“If he ran away, then put him in jail — why did you shoot him?” — said the deceased’s mother.

Another serviceman, Arkadiy Kukshyn, said that on May 4 he fled from the “Skelya” training ground in Sumy region. According to him, a patrol opened fire at him, wounding him in the leg and arm. The man hid, did not officially seek hospital treatment, and later left Ukraine illegally.

The third source interviewed by the journalists, whose name was changed to Yuri, spoke about beatings of subordinates at the training ground. He claims that the senior instructor attacked him twice — first while on duty, and later in Dnipro. Despite appeals to the police and the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), according to the publication’s sources, no proceedings were opened on his complaint.

The regiment’s command was sent a request by the journalists on July 7, 2026, but at the time of publication they had not received a response.

Earlier we wrote:

• Death of a serviceman from Mykolaiv region and 25 more cases: investigation about the “Skelya” regiment
• A serviceman was killed on the unit’s premises: the family alleged possible concealment of the circumstances
• Kidnapped, tortured and shot: nine servicemen and a former commander detained for the murder of brothers
• Basal skull fracture and hemorrhage: a man died after being at the Kremenchuk TCC
• 18 days without contact and with broken ribs: the ombudsman reported violations at the Mykolaiv TCC