SBI does not rule out questioning Syrskyi as witness in case of insufficient defense of Kharkiv region
The State Bureau of Investigation stated that it could involve the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, as a witness in the case of insufficient defence of Kharkiv region.
This was stated by the SBI spokesperson Tetiana Sapian in a commentary to Radio Liberty, Censor.NET reports.
She explained that the proceedings against two generals and a colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the failure of the defence of the Kharkiv region were opened amid a public outcry.
Sapian says that the investigation will take into account the combat merits of the suspected officers.
The journalists asked the SBI spokesperson whether other officials could be questioned in this case, such as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov or the former commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Sodol.
She replied that law enforcement officers do not rule out involving as witnesses "absolutely everyone whom the investigation deems necessary to interview in order to help clarify the full picture of those events".
The case regarding the insufficient defense of the Kharkiv region in May 2024
As a reminder, on January 20, the SBI detained two generals and a colonel suspected of negligence that led to the loss of part of the Kharkiv region in May 2024.
The 125th TDF Brigade, whose Brigade Сommander was Horbenko in 2024, expressed support for him and expressed a desire to tell the truth in court about the events of that time in the Kharkiv region.
On January 21, Yurii Halushkin, a former commander of the OTG "Kharkiv" accused in the same case, was arrested for 60 days with bail set at UAH 5 million. On January 22, 5 million hryvnias bail was posted for Brigadier General Yurii Halushkin.
On January 22, 5 million hryvnias bail was posted for Brigadier General Yurii Halushkin
Subsequently, SBI officers re-detained Halushkin, who was to be released on bail of UAH 5 million. The Bureau reported new facts in the case of the border breach in the Kharkiv region.
Also on January 21, Kyiv's Pecherskyi District Court arrested Colonel Illia Lapin, former commander of the 415th Separate Rifle Battalion of the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, for 60 days.
Read more about the situation with the detention of military commanders in the article by Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov.
