Investigation to be conducted in 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade following reports of battalion commander’s suicide
The 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade announced that the circumstances surrounding the death of the commander of the 186th Separate Battalion, Ihor Hryb, will be clarified during an official investigation.
This is according to the brigade's statement on Facebook, reported by Ukrinform.
"The circumstances of Ihor Hryb's death are currently being investigated, and a internal investigation is underway," the statement reads.
The statement emphasizes that Commander Ihor Hryb was dedicated to the welfare of his personnel and did not shy away from addressing the issues of his military unit. He was deeply committed to his military duty and his country.
The 123rd Brigade also reminded the public that its soldiers have been defending the country since the early days of the war. The brigade's personnel directly participated in the liberation of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, and since November 2022, they have been performing combat missions to defend the Dnipro River coastline and the islands in Kherson region.
The brigade stressed the importance of giving its leadership and command the time to understand the circumstances that arose within the unit and resolve any issues to ensure the personnel can continue fulfilling combat missions.
Meanwhile, the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine expressed their condolences to the family and friends of Lieutenant Colonel Ihor Hryb. They also voiced concern over the spread of "unverified and sometimes blatantly false information regarding these events" on some social media platforms and news outlets.
The Territorial Defense Command urged journalists and bloggers to refrain from spreading false or unverified information and distorted comments, and to avoid drawing premature conclusions until the commission completes its investigation.
The communication department of the Territorial Defense Forces noted that "some commentators, whether intentionally or not, are openly contributing to enemy propaganda by casting a shadow on the entire 123rd Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine," whose units "continue to diligently carry out combat missions on the front line," including in the most intense areas of fighting.
The command emphasized that the commission is "thoroughly examining all the circumstances surrounding the events that occurred this week in the area of responsibility of the 186th Separate Battalion of the Territorial Defense Forces," and military psychologists, who are part of the commission, are currently working with the unit's personnel.
Earlier, media reports suggested that the commander of the 86th Battalion of the 123rd Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces allegedly committed suicide after his soldiers refused to follow an order and left their positions near Vuhledar without permission.
As reported by Ukrinform, on October 2, the operational-strategic group of troops Khortytsia stated that higher command had authorized the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Vuhledar to preserve personnel and combat equipment, and to take up positions for future operations.