Case of enemy’s breakthrough in Kharkiv region: ex-commanders of "Kharkiv" OTG and "Khortytsia" OSGT Hrytskov and Hruzevych have not been interrogated yet - SBI
The SBI has not yet interrogated the predecessors of Generals Yurii Halushkin and Yurii Sodol in the case of the enemy's breakthrough in the Kharkiv region in May last year. The fact is that the former commanders of the OTG "Kharkiv" Andrii Hrytskov and OSGT "Khortytsia" Oleksandr Hruzevych are currently performing combat missions at the front.
According to Censor.NET, citing UP, this was stated in a commentary by Colonel Vadym Pryimachko, head of the Main Investigation Department of the State Bureau of Investigation.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers interviewed more than half a thousand military officers, commanders, representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and employees of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration. But Halushkin and Sodol's predecessors have not yet been questioned.
Hrytskov commanded the Kharkiv OTG for more than a year, from the beginning of March 2023 to the end of March 2024, while Halushkin was in charge for only 40 days. Hruzevych was the commander of the Khortytsia OSGT from January to April 2024, and Sodol from April to the end of June 2024.
Brigadier General Halushkin became the commander of the Kharkiv OTG on April 1, 2024. According to Colonel Pryimachok, on April 5, he wrote a request to the commander-in-chief, asking for additional forces and means. He was sent five brigades: The 92nd Assault Brigade, the 42nd Mechanized Brigade, the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade, the 71st Ranger Brigade, and the 17th Tank Brigade.
Halushkin did not strengthen the front line of defense, but placed these brigades on the second line, where the offensive was actually held back. When asked: "Why didn't you put the brigades assigned to the front line?" he answered: "The Commander-in-Chief determined that I should place them on the second echelon." He said he could not challenge the orders of the commander-in-chief. Horbenko did the same," the SBI noted.
According to the SBI, Generals Halushkin and Horbenko's version of events is also supported by their immediate superior, the former commander of the Khortytsia OSGT, Yurii Sodol.
Investigators also have not yet interrogated Oleksandr Syrskyi due to his "busy schedule" but plan to talk to the commander-in-chief about the case.
The case of 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.
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.
On January 24, the former commander of the OTG 'Kharkiv', Yurii Halushkin, was taken into custody without the right to be released on bail.
Read more about the situation with the detention of military commanders in the article by Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov.
