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| Russian breakthrough in the Khar'kov region. The State Bureau of Investigation is looking for the culprits |
| 2024-05-28 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Korrespondent] Defense forces blamed for loss of territory. The SBI stated that they are establishing the circumstances of the Russian occupiers breaking through the border in the Khar'kov region. The Russian offensive in the Khar'kov region has become the subject of investigation. The SBI officers established the minute-by-minute development of events, and in total the names of 28 servicemen appear in the case (commander of the operational-tactical group, brigade commander, battalion commanders, company commanders, head of the intelligence department of the headquarters). This case may become the most high-profile investigation against the military leadership of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. CHECKING READINESS “Given the resonance of the proceedings, the best investigators and the leadership of the Main Investigation Department of the State Bureau of Investigation have been involved in the investigation, and there is close interaction with the operational units of the SBU. And also - full communication and support from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, OTG Khar'kov and OSGV Khortytsia,” the message says. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers are checking the level of support and staffing of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the construction of fortifications, interaction between military units, etc. They are also checking the actions of the leadership of all levels in the region during the enemy’s offensive actions, before and after them, and are investigating possible facts of groundless withdrawal from combat positions by units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Preliminary qualification of criminal proceedings is unauthorized abandonment of the field and negligent attitude towards military service (Article 429, Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). OCCUPATION OF VILLAGES According to the analytical resource DeepState, as of May 27, 10 border settlements fell under occupation due to the offensive in the Kharkiv region: Strelka, Krasnoe, Pylnaya, Borisovka, Morokhovets, Oleynikovo, Glubokoe, Lukyantsy, Pletenevka, Ogurtsovoye Gatishche. The village of Bugrovatka and the city of Volchansk were partially captured. According to the investigation, the command of the 125th brigade and its subordinate units, including the 415th separate rifle battalion, 23 mechanized brigade, 172 separate riflemen, allegedly did not properly organize the defense of positions on the border of the Khar'kov region and the Russian Federation, which led to the loss of military equipment and personal composition of the unit. In the 125th separate territorial defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, they stated in response that they were ready for the offensive and no one was retreating from their positions. “Whether from ignorance of the situation, or from a desire to cause harm, individual residents of social networks are spreading completely false information about the unpreparedness of the Defense Forces for an enemy offensive, or even worse, about the retreat of individual units from the defense lines entrusted to them,” said the commander of the 125th brigade, Lieutenant General Arthur Gorbenko. By the time of the Russian attack, the brigade commander assured that the situation in his brigade’s defense zone was complex, but controllable. The settlements into which the enemy has entered are located in a permanent “gray zone,” and therefore the enemy’s success is quite conditional and costs him huge losses in equipment and manpower,” Gorbenko added. THE DANGER OF INVESTIGATION Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Roman Kostenko notes that for the first time during the full-scale invasion, the public was informed about such a major investigation. “When such information, in particular by the media, is dispersed, many people automatically immediately get the stigma in their heads that the military is to blame. If an investigation is carried out, then they are to blame for losing the territories. Is it necessary to do this? In my opinion, publicly - no, it can also look like discredit. And now many military personnel who carry out their tasks understand that the machine is now starting to act against them. This is quite a serious story. Perhaps they are to blame, but this should be an investigation, which should be objective, about which there should not be much publicity. If there are culprits there, these culprits need to be held accountable,” Kostenko describes the risks. The people's deputy believes that it is necessary to figure out what forces and means the 125th brigade had at its disposal. According to him, “a battalion that was supposed to hold five kilometers, for example, held 15 kilometers.” “There are many questions, they had no artillery at all... There are questions about the mining of the territory with anti-personnel mines. Everything there was not completely mined. The question is whether there were resources. We haven't had mines since we signed the anti-personnel mine ban convention, and we're destroying them all. We simply don’t physically have them. Question: have our partners given us enough mines so that we can sew up all three thousand kilometers of the border with the Russian Federation? There must be millions of mines. If not, then what will they put there for you? And this should be sorted out. And we immediately said with our statements that “the military is to blame,” Kostenko emphasized. In his opinion, commanders should be responsible for their decisions, but he is against public accusations of commanders. |
| Posted by:badanov |