{
  "id": 5101548,
  "title": "Skelia Regiment comes under operational command of Ukraine’s Azov Corps",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/skelia-regiment-comes-under-operational-command-of-ukraines-azov-corps",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T14:19:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Voice of Ukraine",
    "slug": "new-voice-of-ukraine",
    "url": "https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/skelia-regiment-placed-under-operational-command-of-azov-corps-50637921.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 2, Ukraine's 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia was placed under the operational command of the National Guard's 1st Azov Corps. During August, several Skelia battalions and the regiment's command were redeployed to the Azov 1st Corps sector, where they carried out combat missions to eliminate enemy forces that had breached brigade defensive lines. Azov Corps highlighted improvements in operational discipline and efforts to limit casualties during combat missions. The consolidation of Skelia's forces into a single sector of the front is ongoing. Azov Corps intends to share its experience, values, and principles with Skelia to help the regiment continue its missions while safeguarding the well-being of its personnel. However, an investigation published by Babel on June 23 revealed that at least 26 Skelia recruits died between late fall 2025 and spring 2026, most from pneumonia, cardiovascular issues, and other illnesses. Some relatives accused the command of insufficient medical care and instances of physical abuse. Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets took charge of an investigation into possible torture of soldiers at a Skelia facility, and a special monitoring team conducted an inspection. On June 25, the regiment confirmed the deaths of 25 recruits, and their commander, Lt. Col. Yurii Harkavyi, was suspended pending the investigation. Additional deaths during basic military training were reported by relatives on July 7, with six cases occurring between fall 2025 and spring 2026, and one in summer 2025. The State Bureau of Investigation arrested a service member from Skelia on suspicion of assaulting a military chaplain and a lieutenant colonel on July 10. Two members of the regiment's medical company were also under suspicion for unlawfully detaining fellow service members in the Kirovohrad region.",
  "summary": "Ukraine’s 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia was placed under the operational command of the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps, both units said on Sept. 2.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}