Law enforcement officers have detained former commanders — two Ukrainian generals and a colonel. They suspect that their negligence allowed Russian troops to seize part of the Kharkiv region in May 2024.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.
According to the investigation, due to the negligence of the former commanders of the operational-tactical group "Kharkiv" Yuriy Galushkin, the 125th separate brigade of territorial defense Artur Gorbenko, and the 415th separate rifle battalion of the 23rd separate mechanized brigade Ilya Lapin, the Russians captured part of the Lyptsi rural territorial community of the Kharkiv region.
The investigation claims that the actions of the commanders led to losses among Ukrainian military personnel and weapons, and also disrupted the defense of the state border in their area of responsibility.
The SBI writes that the suspected general had identified defensive positions for the 125th Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that did not match its combat capabilities. In addition, he had other units that could reinforce these positions.
But he made a number of mistakes — he did not fully specify the directions of the main strikes of the Russian army, and he did not sufficiently control the organization of training and defense of positions. According to law enforcement officers, the general did not support the brigade units with artillery and air forces, so they did not carry out maneuvers in time.
The suspected former commander of the 125th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade, Lieutenant General Gorbenko, also underestimated the Russiansʼ capabilities in the defense area of his brigade. Therefore, he did not equip combat guard positions, did not man the brigade, and gave the battalions inflated combat missions. He also did not organize the proper equipment of strongpoints and engineering structures.
In addition, Gorbenko knew about the preparation of the Russian offensive in the direction, but did not convey the information to his subordinates — because of this, not all personnel of the brigade were in position when the offensive began. Already during the battle, Gorbenko did not support the brigade with artillery, did not use reserves effectively, and did not ensure the interaction of his subordinates with other units. He also did not know the real situation on the battlefield.
The former commander of the 415th battalion of the 23rd separate brigade, Ilya Lapin, claims the SBI did not organize a defensive battle in Strelechye, Krasnye Liptsy, and Slobozhanske. He did not prepare the objects under his control for defense.
During the Russian offensive, Lapin did not report to his senior commander on the results of the defensive battle and did not take measures to prevent the 12th battalionʼs unauthorized retreat from its positions. He gave a combat order in the absence of an order from his senior commander. The suspected battalion commander also ignored and failed to carry out the brigade commanderʼs order to restore lost positions.
The State Border Service claims that due to these violations, the Russians captured the positions of the first and second echelon units of the battalions. As a result, Ukrainian servicemen were killed, and the Russians entered the defense zone up to 10 km deep. Thus, they lost part of the state border in this area.
The officials will be informed of suspicion of a military servicemanʼs negligent attitude to service, committed under martial law, which caused serious consequences. And the former commander of the 415th battalion of the 23rd brigade will also be suspected of organizing an unauthorized departure from the battlefield. They all face up to 10 years in prison.
- In May 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the breach of the state border by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region. In particular, the command of the 125th Brigade was involved in the proceedings for unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield and neglect of military service.