Law enforcement agency to investigate general accused of heavy losses, media reports

The State Bureau of Investigation will assess Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol's command of Ukrainian troops during the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainska Pravda reported on June 29.

Sodol was the Joint Forces Commander when the new Russian offensive started on May 10. He also headed the Khortytsia group of forces, which operates in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts, and was repelling the new wave of assaults there.

The general was dismissed on June 24 after Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, one of the Azov Brigade's commanders, filed an official complaint to the State Bureau of Investigation calling for an investigation of one of the generals.

Krotevych accuses the general of abuse of power and incompetent command of the troops, which led to the loss of Ukraine's territory, as well as personnel.

President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Sodol with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.

Russia’s move on Kharkiv has bogged down. But was it a failure?

In the first half of May, Russia opened a new front to its war against Ukraine in dramatic fashion. The two-pronged offensive on Kharkiv Oblast unfolded on the back of some of the most difficult months for Ukrainian forces, overstretched and depleted after a brutal winter and early spring campaign

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the State Bureau of Investigation reviewed Krotevych's complaint and added it to the criminal case about the circumstances of the Russian breakthrough in the border area in Kharkiv Oblast.

The command of the Khortytsia group of forces during the defense operations in Kharkiv Oblast is also being investigated in the criminal case.

The Bureau promised Krotevych that it would check all the circumstances in his complaint, the outlet said.

Krotevych wrote on X that he is "unsatisfied" with the reply from the Bureau.

"Now it's up to the lawyers. I am grateful to everyone who supports us. I ask the military not to be afraid to testify (including non-publicly), we will not back down," he said.

Ukraine opens investigation into improper organization of defenses in Kharkiv Oblast

According to the court document, investigators said the 125th Brigade and its subordinate units “did not properly organize the defense of positions on the border of Kharkiv Oblast” due to a “careless attitude to military service.”

The Kyiv IndependentNate Ostiller