The commander of 186th Battalion committed suicide

Dozens of people, nearly the entire community, gathered today for the funeral of Lt. Col. Ihor Hryb, commander of the 186th Territorial Defense Battalion of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade. While officials have not commented on the circumstances of his death, an investigation is underway. According to a soldier from the battalion, who requested anonymity, and various sources, Lt. Col. Hryb took his own life at the headquarters on October 2, 2024.

The brigade was reportedly withdrawn from Kherson and intended to rotate the heavily depleted 72nd Mechanized Brigade, which was defending Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast. According to an anonymous soldier from the unit, the battalion had only machine guns, with companies at just 20-30% strength, and was sent to face tanks and drones in Vuhledar. Upon arriving at the operational area, Lt. Col. Ihor Hryb refused to lead his soldiers into what he saw as a certain massacre. Higher command representatives later arrived at the battalion’s headquarters and threatened him with criminal charges. Shortly after, he took his own life at the headquarters.

Ihor Hryb had been fighting since 2014, participating in the battles of Savur-Mohyla, surviving Ilovaysk, and defending Krasnohorivka and Marinka. In 2021, he took command of the 186th Territorial Defense Battalion. At 33 years old, he was well-respected and popular among his soldiers.