Advisor to the Minister of Defense Serhii Sternenko accused the commanders of the 425th “Skelia” Regiment of organizing assaults that lead to heavy losses in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The regiment, in turn, stated that his conclusions are based on Russian videos and do not correspond to reality.
Source: “Espreso”
Sternenko’s statement
On April 1, the advisor to the Minister of Defense published a post on his Telegram channel with screenshots allegedly showing the “remains of equipment of the 425th Regiment near Pokrovsk.”
“We often laugh at the enemy when it sends its troops in columns to assault. In conditions of drone dominance, columns become easy targets, and the enemy suffers heavy losses. But what about Ukrainian commanders who do the same? The footage shows the remains of equipment of the 425th ‘Skelia’ Regiment near Pokrovsk. I will not publish footage with the bodies of our soldiers. Unfortunately, there are many of them there. Treating our people like this is a crime. And there must be accountability for it. What is being done to people in certain formations is no better than Russian practices. This must be put to an end,” Sternenko wrote.
Position of the “Skelia” Regiment
The regiment published an official response on Facebook, stating that the advisor to the minister drew conclusions based on videos from Russian sources that do not reflect real events.
“Mr. Sternenko used videos from Russian sources, which deliberately edited together footage of strikes from different days in different sections of the front and which are unrelated to the operation on March 31. Based on this data, Mr. Sternenko made conclusions that do not correspond to reality,” the statement says.
The military added that on March 31, the regiment carried out a successful counterattack on a key tactical объект in Pokrovsk captured by the enemy. To complete the mission, they used armored vehicles with additional protection, reliable communications, aerial reconnaissance, drones, artillery, and tanks. Enemy drones hit four units of armored vehicles, but the assault group successfully completed the task and continues the fight.
During the battle, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed, and all vehicle crews were evacuated safely.
The regiment emphasized its readiness for professional dialogue and inspections but considers it unacceptable to publicly spread statements based on enemy videos without verification with the participants of the operation. Materials will be provided to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The military also invited Sternenko to come to the regiment’s headquarters to verify the facts and draw conclusions based on Ukrainian data. The “Skelia” unit added that the advisor can apply his experience in practice by taking part in the defense of the Motherland.