Advanced is a between 150 and 200 personnel operating under the command of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR) and located directed by Brazilian Leanderson Paulino.
The Ukrainian media has done an investigative report about the conditions in that unit after a 28-year-old Brazilian recruit dies after, allegedly, receive torture by his superiors.
According to what some former members of the unit have said (anonymously for fear of possible reprisals), He responded to the name of Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva and lost his life from December 28 to 29, 2025.
The ex-combatants interviewed by the aforementioned Ukrainian media have assured that in the Advanced unit they have witnessed torture that included burns, beatings, simulated drownings and even sexual assaults with wooden objects.
In fact, the Brazilian Leanderson Paulinowho heads the foreign combat unit, has been accused by several of his subordinates of overseeing (and in some cases even participating) in the abuses against the members of Advanced.
Ukrainian authorities have opened an investigation
The Ukrainian authorities have recognized the death of Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva. Since the death occurred under strange circumstances, The prosecutor’s office has announced that the police have opened a preliminary investigation.
For its part, the military ombudsman has reported that, as a result of this death, his office has ordered a inspection of the foreign Advanced combat unit.
From the command of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine have indicated to Kyiv Independent that at the time of his death, Leal da Silva was at the “temporary deployment point” of his military unit as a candidate in the selection process for a possible contract. Following this communication, the HUR has confirmed the opening an internal investigation into Advanced to clarify what happened.
