Ukrainian officials respond to abuse and hazing scandal in 211th brigade

Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s General Staff

Recent revelations about alleged abuse in Ukraine’s 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade received a swift reaction from the country’s human righths ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

In a statement issued on Monday,  Lubinets said he reached out to the General Staff and the Military Law Enforcement Service, urging an immediate investigation.

“I won’t stand by while such disgraceful behavior occurs! I’m taking this situation under my personal control,” he declared, promising updates on the investigation’s progress.

The controversy erupted after Ukrainska Pravda released a whistleblowe story of former psychological support officer Tymofiy Ostafiychuk who accused the commanders of the 211th Brigade of extorting money from soldiers, using threats, physical violence, and intimidation tactics.

Later in the day,  the General Staff confirmed that it launched a probe into the claims adding they suspended the unit commander from duty for the time of investigation.

The General Staff admitted similar incidents had been investigated in September. The fresh allegations include the claims of:

• Beatings: Soldiers who refused to pay alleged “fines” faced brutal physical punishment.
• Crucifixion-like Torture: Some were reportedly tied to wooden crosses.
• “The Cage”: A chilling makeshift prison used to detain soldiers and extort funds.

Adding fuel to the fire, Ukrainska Pravda alleged that  the abuse campaign was led by Vladyslav Pastukh, the son of the brigade’s chief of staff and godson of its commander. Following public outrage, Pastukh was reportedly transferred to another unit, and his father compensated some of the victims.