Experts: Scandal in 'Skala' Regiment Reflects Broader Mobilization Issues in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Army's assault regiment 'Skala' is embroiled in a scandal over the torture of mobilized soldiers. 25 people died during training before reaching the front.
Ukrainian society has been shaken for a second week by the scandal surrounding one of the most famous assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, 'Skala'. Investigative journalists revealed that mobilized soldiers were beaten, tortured, and abused during basic training. As a result, 25 people died or died in hospitals without ever reaching the front. Many in the army knew about this but remained silent in public, according to the Ukrainian outlet Babel.
Editor-in-chief Katerina Korobeinik said that active soldiers from other units were the first to report the situation. "They know much better at the front. They waited for journalists to tell the story," she noted. Among the mobilized were many former convicts and people with alcohol or drug addictions. Many had been receiving methadone therapy before mobilization, but this was discontinued in the regiment.
War correspondent Yulia Kirienko believes that this scandal would not have occurred without broader mobilization problems. "Why does the army recruit such people? Because they are mobilized by territorial recruitment centers. Why do they do that? Because the authorities have decided so. Why do the authorities make such a decision? Because we have a huge number of reserved personnel and draft evaders. I've heard a figure of 4 million reserved," she said.
Formally, 'Skala' is a regiment, but it has 13,000 soldiers — twice as many as the entire Estonian army. It serves as a reserve for Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. The scandal has raised questions about the effectiveness of such units. Dmytro Zhmailo, director of the Center for Security and Cooperation, noted that sometimes 'Skala' stabilized the front line when regular units failed to hold positions. However, Korobeinik stated that 'Skala' is not very effective in combat, suffers heavy losses, grows rapidly, and consequently deprives other units of personnel.
Syrsky admitted that the problems in the regiment were known since winter. "We thought these negative phenomena were eliminated. The regiment commander reported that conclusions were drawn and measures taken," he said. Currently, the military police and the State Bureau of Investigation are investigating. Zhmailo emphasized that there are no good solutions in mobilization, only choices between bad and terrible. Kirienko predicted that an ideal army might not emerge before 2027–2028, when contracts with fixed terms come into effect.
