SBI investigates occupiers’ border breakthrough in Kharkiv region, checks actions of 28 commanders - media
The Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigation in Poltava seizes a number of secret military documents as part of criminal proceedings opened over the Russian occupiers’ breakthrough of the state border in Kharkiv region in May 2024.
This is reported by Glavkom with reference to the data of the court register, Censor.NET informs.
According to the pre-trial investigation, on May 10, 2024, in the area of responsibility of the Kharkiv operational and tactical group, the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops, and the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the settlements of Strilecha, Krasne, Borysivka, Pylne of Kharkiv district and Hatyshche of Chuhuiv district of Kharkiv region, as well as other settlements of Kharkiv region (along the state border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation), during the enemy's assault, there were facts of abandonment of combat positions by the AFU units. These were units of up to one company, which were part of the first echelon of defense. As a result of this emergency situation, the Russian offensive had to be repelled by the forces of the second echelon of defense.
According to the investigation, the command of the 125th Brigade and its subordinate units, including the 415th Separate Rifle Battalion, 23rd Mechanized Brigade, and 172nd Separate Rifle Battalion, allegedly failed to properly organize the defense of positions on the border of Kharkiv Oblast and the Russian Federation, which led to the loss of these positions, military equipment, and personnel. In total, the case file contains the names of 28 servicemen (the commander of the operational and tactical group, the brigade commander, battalion commanders, company commanders, and the head of the headquarters intelligence department), whose involvement is being checked by the SBI.
In addition, the investigation gained access to the decisions of the commanders of these military formations on the implementation of combat orders in the area of the incident; documents on reliable data on the manning of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the above military units as of May 10, 2024; documents on the state of fortification equipment at the scene and engineering barriers; forms of barriers and other documents.
A military examination has been ordered as part of the investigation. The criminal proceedings themselves were opened on May 11, 2024, on the facts of negligence of military service (Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code) and unauthorized leaving the battlefield (Article 429 of the Criminal Code). The maximum sentence under these articles is 10 years in prison.
Earlier, the 125th Separate Brigade of the TDF denied such accusations: The defense forces were ready for an offensive and no one retreated from their positions.
"Either out of ignorance of the situation or a desire to do harm, some social media users are spreading completely false information about the unpreparedness of the Defense Forces for the enemy's offensive, or even worse, about the retreat of individual units from the defensive lines entrusted to them," said Lieutenant General Artur Horbenko, commander of the 125th Brigade. At the time of the Russian attack, the brigadier assured that the situation in his brigade's defense line was difficult but under control. "The settlements entered by the enemy are located in a permanent ‘gray zone’, so the enemy's success is quite conditional and costs them huge losses in equipment and manpower," explained Horbenko.
On the third day of the massive offensive, on May 13, the commander of the Kharkiv OTG was replaced. He was replaced by General Mykhailo Drapatyi instead of Yurii Halushkin. Drapatyi also remains the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the DeepState resource, as of May 23, 10 border settlements in the Kharkiv region were under occupation.
