Ukraine's assault regiments ordered to halt recruitment amid allegations of misconduct, media reports

Newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi ordered assault regiments of Ukraine's Ground Forces to temporarily suspend recruitment on July 26, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on July 31, citing sources in four units.

The reported order comes amid a series of media investigations into alleged mistreatment of soldiers and non-combat deaths in the 425th and 225th assault regiments, which were often directly subordinate to former Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on the battlefield. The units, however, have also been tasked with some of the most dangerous missions on the battlefield and have sustained significant losses.

Ukrainska Pravda did not disclose which assault regiments provided the information.

One source said their regiment was currently unable to recruit personnel from reserve battalions or newly mobilized soldiers assigned through enlistment offices. Another source confirmed that their unit had received notice of a "suspension of personnel allocations" following a decision by the new commander-in-chief.

A soldier who spoke to Ukrainska Pravda on condition of anonymity also said that transfers of personnel who had gone AWOL to the regiment had been put on hold.

"Two people were in the process of transferring to us after going AWOL," the soldier said. "They had already left their units and were waiting to join ours, but now I don't know what to do with them."

However, sources in the General Staff told the Ukrainian outlet Babel that no official orders had been issued to suspend recruitment in assault regiments, contradicting earlier media reports.

The General Staff has not publicly commented on reports of a possible ban on replenishing the personnel of assault units.

Yet, on July 29, the General Staff announced an inspection of the "fair distribution of personnel" across the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The review aims to assess the actual staffing levels of brigades, regiments, and corps, evaluate the effectiveness of personnel allocation among units, and identify ways to improve military personnel management, the General Staff said.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that at least two assault regiments — the 425th, also known as Skelia, and the 225th — had exclusive authorization to continuously replenish and expand their ranks. At the same time, other assault units, including the 1st Separate Assault Regiment and the 475th Assault Regiment, did not have the same authorization despite their battlefield effectiveness, the outlet reported, citing sources.

Two investigations published by Ukrainian media outlets this summer examined alleged mistreatment of soldiers in — the 425th and 225th regiments.

The Ukrainian outlet Texty reported that Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine's 225th Assault Regiment, allegedly ordered troops to open fire on fellow soldiers who were retreating.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian outlet Babel reported that the 425th Assault Regiment had seen more than 30 non-combat deaths among Ukrainian soldiers, which the outlet linked to inadequate service conditions and alleged abuse.

Following the publication of the investigation on June 23, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) launched a pretrial investigation into allegations of torture and deaths among mobilized soldiers in the regiment. The commander of the Skelia regiment, Yurii Harkavyi, is also suspended while the investigation is underway.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation charged two service members from the medical unit of the 425th Assault Regiment with allegedly torturing and unlawfully detaining two fellow soldiers, the agency said on July 28.