Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, one of the Azov Brigade's commanders, announced on July 22 that he filed a complaint with the court against the State Bureau of Investigation.
The complaint is related to a supposed lack of action regarding the case against the former commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yurii Sodol, Krotevych said on his Telegram channel.
Sodol was the Joint Forces commander when the new Russian offensive started on May 10. He also headed the Khortytsia group of forces, which faces Russian forces in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts.
The general was dismissed on June 24 after Krotevych filed an official complaint with the State Bureau of Investigation requesting an investigation.
Krotevych accused the general of abuse of power and incompetent command of the troops, which allegedly led to the loss of Ukrainian territory and personnel.
Ukrainska Pravda reported on June 29 that the State Bureau of Investigation would assess Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol's command of Ukrainian troops during the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.
According to Krotevych, his statement against Sodol was merely added to the investigation case of the Russian breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast in May, and law enforcement officers did not summon Krotevych to testify, although he had asked to be a witness.
On July 4, the Azov officer filed a complaint with the court against the State Bureau of Investigation to add relevant data to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and launch an investigation against Sodol.
Krotevych called the bureau's actions "a brazen violation of the law," similar to "deliberate inaction."
The court scheduled the hearing for July 10, involving a judge who was supposed to be on vacation.
Krotevych's lawyers managed to get a new automatic redistribution of judges, but the hearing was postponed again. According to Krotevych, the new presiding judge set the hearing for Aug. 19, as he also begins his vacation on July 15.
"These actions, as well as communication between different people and some calls, made it clear to me that there is an instruction from above not to let this case go on," Krotevych claimed.
The bureau has not yet responded to Krotevych's accusations.
The Azov Brigade's commander added that he had been approached by many service members ready to testify against General Sodol.
President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Sodol with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.
Hnatov had previously served as the Deputy Commander of the Southern Operational Command since 2022.
Following the announcement, Krotevych wrote, "Hnatov is a very good officer. I hope the news at the front will get better."
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
