A soldier spoke about torture in the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade: reaction of state bodies and command (video)

Reports of conflict situations, ill-treatment and violations in relations between servicemen in individual units periodically appear in social networks. Such publications cause a wide public resonance, attract the attention of law enforcement agencies, the command of the Armed Forces and become the subject of investigations, as they relate to issues of discipline, the moral and psychological state of personnel and the observance of legality in military formations.

The latest case, which gained wide publicity, concerns the serviceman Ruslan from the Kirovohrad region, who reported the facts of beatings and abuse in the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. He addressed the journalists, providing photo and video materials, which, according to him, confirm the use of physical violence against servicemen by the command and individual fighters of the unit.

What the serviceman reported

Military serviceman Ruslan from the Kirovohrad region reported about cases of beatings and abuse in the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. For reasons of his own safety, he asked that his last name not be disclosed. According to Ruslan, after information about these events appeared on social networks, he began to receive threats. The man provided the journalists with video footage and photos, which, according to him, are evidence of the use of physical violence in the brigade.

Ruslan said that the beatings began in May 2024 – that’s when he signed a contract and began serving in the 57th brigade in the Kharkiv area, in particular in Vovchansk. At first, he said, the command behaved normally, but later problems began with receiving medical care and payments. He emphasized that none of the soldiers in the brigade received a monetary reward for signing the contract, limiting themselves only to wages. According to Ruslan, combat payments were not received either, instead systematic physical violence against servicemen, beatings and transportation of people in the trunks of cars began. According to him, commanders instructed individual subordinates to beat other soldiers.

Photo: suspilne.media

In January 2025, Ruslan voluntarily left the unit — this happened for the second time during his service. The first case of voluntary abandonment occurred in October 2024, when he was forced to self-medicate after a leg operation. Later, a cyst was discovered in his head, which he informed the command. However, he was denied medical care. When Ruslan insisted on undergoing an MRI due to severe headaches, he was referred to the medical department, where they simply waved him off, laughed at him, and did not issue any referrals. In the end, he was taken to Chuguyev, where he went to various medical facilities. One of the ENT surgeons confirmed the necessity of the operation, but noted that the treatment would not be started without the commander’s permission. According to Ruslan, the command even contacted doctors so that they would refuse him help.

After the hospital, Ruslan returned home. A month later, a representative of the unit – a zampolit – began calling his wife, offering to return to the service. He agreed and in January 2025 he came to the unit again. However, according to him, a day after his return, he witnessed new beatings of his brothers. Ruslan also said that the police officer’s car was burned because he also used force on others. Soon Ruslan received threats again – one of the co-workers directly declared that he would “slay” him. He also heard that Zampolite incited other soldiers to massacre him.

Reaction of state authorities

In February 2025, Ruslan appealed to several state bodies — the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of the President. The Office of the President reported that the appeal was forwarded to the Ministry of Defense and the Office of the Prosecutor General. A response was received from the Commissioner for Human Rights, in which it was noted that the applicant should submit a statement to the DBR, as well as that his appeal was sent to the Main Directorate of the Military Service of Law and Order of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to check the stated facts and respond in case of their confirmation.

The Department of Military Counterintelligence of the SBU stated that after considering Ruslan’s appeal, they did not find any signs of crimes, the investigation of which falls within the competence of the Security Service. According to Ruslan, he was later called by a representative of counterintelligence who hinted that he should refrain from testifying and not communicate with other structures to which he had filed complaints. He also claims that other servicemen are intimidated and forbidden to contact him.

In addition, representatives of the military police called his grandmother, urging Ruslan to contact them. When he did, he was asked to hand over the footage. Ruslan replied that if the materials had already been officially handed over, they should have had the video as well.

Ruslan expressed his desire to continue his service, but in another military unit with normal conditions and attitude towards the military. He added that after the information spread, his phones began to be taken away so that others could not communicate with him or transmit materials. According to him, the command also pressured him not to publish the videos.

SBU spokesman Artem Dekhtyarenko, in response to a journalist’s request, explained that the State Bureau of Investigation deals with the investigation of crimes committed by servicemen. According to Oleksandr Bilka, the spokesman for the Poltava Regional Directorate of the Security Intelligence Service, SBI investigators have opened criminal proceedings under part five of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of power or official authority by a military official, which provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment. So far, investigators have not been able to interrogate the applicant due to the fact that he voluntarily left the military unit. All information from his statement is checked within the scope of the investigation, and the final legal assessment of the actions of the persons will be provided after the investigation is completed.

Sospilny’s information requests to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Office of the President have not yet been answered. In telephone conversations, representatives of these bodies reported that the requests are being processed. According to the law “On access to public information”, the answer must be given no later than five working days, and in the case of a large amount of information – up to 20 working days with justification for the extension of the deadline. The public promised to publish the answers after receiving them.

In a comment, the command of the Ground Forces of Ukraine noted that it acts according to the principles of openness, legality and protection of the reputation of the Armed Forces in order to maintain the morale of the troops and public trust. If the stated facts are confirmed and the guilty persons are found, they will be brought to strict disciplinary or criminal responsibility.

The reaction of the command of the 57th brigade

In turn, the command of the 57th brigade denies all accusations. In a statement, the brigade emphasized that the allegations of bullying are completely baseless and do not correspond to reality. According to the command, the unit constantly maintains high standards of discipline and mutual respect among all servicemen.

The brigade also emphasized that the information about the beating of the soldiers appeared on the network back in April and has since become the subject of numerous checks and investigations. At the same time, no evidence of illegal actions or crimes on the part of the command or personnel was found.

The deputy commander of the special battalion “Shkval” with the call sign “Palych”, in which Ruslan served, stated that the facts of the beating of servicemen by the command were not confirmed and that Ruslan’s attempts were a discredit to the Armed Forces. According to him, the battalion consists mainly of persons with criminal records. He also noted that Ruslan served for two months, never went on combat missions, as he was undergoing treatment all this time. The command claims that Ruslan was repeatedly convicted of fraud and is now illegally abroad.

Regarding the video, the deputy commander said that he spoke with other military personnel, who explained that the recording was created to be posted on social networks in a humorous way. Regarding another video showing a man being beaten, the deputy commander said he could not identify the people in the video. He noted that the video shows the winter season, and at that time Ruslan was either undergoing treatment, or voluntarily left part of it.

“Palych” also reported that the command of the battalion and individual soldiers have already given evidence to the investigative bodies, and there are currently no additional questions for them.