"The Rock" has stated that more than 500 military personnel have been identified as drug addicts and referred for treatment
Andriy Suray, head of the civil-military cooperation group within the regiment, spoke about this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. According to him, these figures relate only to cases that have been officially confirmed by medical staff.
The unit notes that all these servicemen are currently in various medical facilities, where they are undergoing treatment and receiving substitution therapy.
Suray also commented on the figure of nearly two thousand soldiers with drug addiction, which had previously been cited by human rights activists. He said this figure was based on the regiment’s own internal reports and reflected the scale of the problem identified following the arrival of the conscripts.
He claims that many recruits were deemed fit for service by military medical commissions, yet some of them began showing symptoms of drug withdrawal whilst at training centres. As a result, the regiment’s doctors had to provide the necessary care and document the soldiers’ condition.
Earlier, Olga Reshetilova, coordinator of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, also stated that the problem of mobilising people with drug addiction is systemic and affects more than just one unit. According to her, a few months ago, around two thousand such servicemen were identified in the ‘Skelya’ unit, although, in accordance with current medical requirements, they may be unfit or only partially fit for service.
In addition, the regiment reported 13 soldiers with active tuberculosis who had been hospitalised, as well as a significant number of soldiers with hepatitis C. The command insists that all of them are under medical supervision and dismisses allegations of improper treatment of sick servicemen as unfounded.
The situation in the “Skelya” regiment: what is known
The controversy surrounding the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skelya” arose following a high-profile article by the publication Babel, whose journalists had gathered detailed information about the mass deaths of soldiers between late autumn 2025 and spring 2026.
The investigation reported at least 26 deaths among conscripts, none of which were in any way linked to direct combat operations on the front line. According to media reports, the majority of those mobilised died shortly after conscription from severe pneumonia, cardiovascular complications and other illnesses.
Relatives of some of the deceased have publicly alleged that medical care may have been inadequately provided by the regiment’s command, as well as isolated cases of physical abuse; however, the regiment itself categorically denies such serious allegations. At the same time, official representatives of ‘The Rock’ reported that some of the problems described in the article had allegedly been rectified several months ago, and assured that they were fully prepared to cooperate with any investigations into all the issues raised in the publication.
Following significant public outcry, on 24 June the State Bureau of Investigations announced the launch of a pre-trial investigation into possible violations of servicemen’s rights and the abuse of authority by the command of the assault regiment.
On the same day, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Human Rights Commissioner, stated that he had taken personal charge of investigating reports of possible torture of soldiers at ‘Skelya’. To resolve this crisis, the Ombudsman held a special working meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, after which a special monitoring group from the Ombudsman’s Office immediately travelled to the unit’s location to carry out a thorough inspection.
Under the pressure of these circumstances, as early as 25 June, the 425th Special Forces Battalion ‘Skelya’ itself confirmed the deaths of 25 of its recruits, and the unit’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Harkavyi, was immediately suspended from his duties for the duration of the official investigation.
Follow us on Telegram
