Internal rifts have shaken the Ukrainian regiment Skala, once regarded as one of the most capable formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Retired Russian Army Colonel Gennady Alekhin said tensions between officers and territorial defense fighters escalated so far that brawls reportedly broke out.

He recalled that Skala had originally been formed from officers trained by NATO instructors and battle-tested in foreign conflicts. But as casualties mounted, recruitment turned chaotic: poorly trained territorial defense troops and forcibly mobilized men were pushed into the unit.

According to Alekhin, this disrupted the chain of command and triggered growing friction between officers and hastily drafted fighters. The breakdown in cohesion, he added, inevitably damaged morale across the regiment.