Command Addresses Transfer of Soldiers Between 225th Regiment and 108th Brigade

Reports emerged in military communications channels on January 5, 2025, detailing the unannounced transfer of approximately 40 soldiers from the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade’s 2nd and 4th Battalions by the 225th Assault Regiment.

“People were led out of their houses, told to load into vehicles. Some tried to escape at the checkpoint, but they were surrounded and told they would be going to hold the 225th’s line of defense,” an officer from the 108th Brigade told Ukrainska Pravda.

Video footage from the incident shows servicemen being transported under armed escort, with some claiming they were being forcibly transferred to the 225th Assault Regiment despite having no assault training. Two of the soldiers were reportedly on sick leave, while two others had limited fitness classifications for service.

Witnesses from the 108th Brigade described the operation as systematic. “We were told to unload our magazines. I had at least four of them—I unloaded them all and left them in the officers’ house. There were about 22 people in the vehicle,” one serviceman recounted. “When we arrived at the building, we were ordered to surrender our weapons, body armor, and put everything in one place. Our mobile phones were confiscated and we were led into makeshift barracks.”

Another soldier reported that prior to the incident, the unit had been informed that representatives from the 225th Assault Regiment would arrive for personnel verification. “A convoy of vehicles arrived. Military personnel in civilian clothes got out. Our brothers-in-arms were simply loaded under armed escort into a truck and began to be transported toward Zaporizhzhia. They treated people like prisoners or slaves.”

Official sources characterized the incident as a training conducted in coordination with the 225th Assault Regiment, attributing the disorder to failed inter-unit communication. The two formations operate in the same sector, with the 225th executing assault operations while 108th Brigade elements secure and consolidate captured ground.

The 108th Brigade’s press service issued a statement addressing the situation: “Certain servicemen have been involved in an additional training course according to military unit command orders. All brigade units are positioned according to combat orders and are performing assigned tasks, destroying the enemy in their designated defense zone.”

Military Ombudsman Olha Reshetylova confirmed her office’s involvement: “We have been dealing with this issue since yesterday. The problem arose due to improper communication of orders to servicemen and miscommunication between units.”

A portion of the transferred personnel have since returned to their primary assignments within the 108th Brigade. “Such training is being conducted to help soldiers protect themselves and learn to cooperate with the 225th Regiment. There are no plans to involve them in assault operations,” a military spokesman emphasized.

Oleh Shiryaev, commander of the 225th separate assault regiment, told that 20 servicemen from the 108th brigade had officially transferred to them for training. “Nobody kidnapped them, nobody threatened them. They’re currently being reconciled,” he said.

Chain of Command Breakdown

The incident likely stems from the 225th Assault Regiment operating under direct orders from General Oleksandr Sirskyi, while the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade answers to the 17th Army Corps, itself subordinate to Task Force South. The communication failure appears rooted in operational confusion resulting from this split command structure at multiple echelons.