Key facts
- Two Ukrainian soldiers from the Skelia Assault Regiment were captured by Russian forces.
- The capture occurred after the soldiers raised a Ukrainian flag in Kostiantynivka.
- The Skelia unit had claimed Kostiantynivka was cleared of Russian troops.
- The captured soldiers confirmed their affiliation and stated the city was under Russian control.
- Skelia confirmed the soldiers' capture and stated they are alive.
- Skelia also reported capturing two Russian soldiers during the operation.
Russian forces captured two Ukrainian soldiers from the Skelia Assault Regiment during an operation in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, after the unit had claimed the city was cleared of Russian troops. The Skelia regiment confirmed the capture to the Kyiv Independent on July 20, stating the soldiers were alive and that the regiment would assist in their return.
The incident followed a video published on July 18 by the Skelia regiment showing Ukrainian forces raising a flag in Kostiantynivka. An anonymous Ukrainian Telegram channel also shared a video featuring the Skelia logo, with alleged members claiming the city's cultural center had been cleared and the Ukrainian flag raised.
On July 19, the Russian Defense Ministry released its own video showing two Ukrainian soldiers, identified as members of Skelia, who confirmed their capture. In the Russian video, the soldiers stated that the city was under Russian control and that their comrades had been killed during the operation.
Skelia acknowledged that the soldiers in the Russian video were its service members. The regiment is one of Ukraine's largest assault formations and has reportedly suffered higher-than-average battlefield losses. The unit has also faced scrutiny over allegations of abuse and noncombat deaths among recruits.
The flag-raising incident and subsequent captures occur amid a political crisis in Ukraine, reportedly linked to a conflict between Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and the recently dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, with protests continuing for the reinstatement of Fedorov.