Drapaty vs. “Syrsky’s regiments”: assault units of the AFU have their replenishment halted

A conflict is brewing between new AFU Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty and the leadership of the largest assault regiments: as of July 26, these units have been prohibited from replenishing their personnel in the usual manner.

This is reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources in four assault regiments.

According to the outlet, as of July 26, the command has banned these units from accepting servicemen from reserve battalions, other units, and those mobilized through territorial recruitment centers. The only exception is the possibility of accepting servicemen who had gone absent without leave before June 12 but decided to return to service through the “Army+” application.

Until recently, several assault regiments — unofficially known as “Syrsky’s regiments” — enjoyed special conditions: they had the right to continuous replenishment, received better supplies, and possessed significantly greater autonomy compared to other units. Specifically, these include the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala” and the 225th Separate Assault Regiment — both of which were recently the subject of high-profile investigations into the abuse of servicemen.

Initially, the authorized strength of the “Skala” regiment was supposed to be 3,000–4,000 servicemen, but the unit was subsequently expanded to more than 10,000 personnel.

Sources within these units told Ukrainska Pravda that they fear that following Drapaty’s arrival, they may not only be stripped of their special status but potentially disbanded altogether.

Following the publication, “Skala” confirmed that the intake of new recruits had been halted. Spokesman for the 425th Regiment Oleksiy Bratushchak explained the situation as an inspection by the General Staff:

“We understand why this happened. The General Staff has begun an inspection of the staffing of military units and the fairness of personnel distribution across the AFU as a whole. We welcome this initiative and are ready on our part to provide comprehensive assistance and respond to the challenges facing the army at the current stage,” — Bratushchak told Suspilne.