Former commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces considers it inappropriate to charge military leadership in wartime
Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, former commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, commented in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda on the trials of former commanders suspected of negligence that enabled the Russians to seize part of the territory of Kharkiv Oblast in May 2024.
Source: Serhii Naiev's interview with Ukrainska Pravda
Quote from Serhii Naiev: "Trials of military leaders during the war are unacceptable."
Details: The former commander drew attention to the fact that Russian commanders were not brought to justice for retreating from parts of the occupied territories of Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts and for the Armed Forces of Ukraine's breakthrough into the territory of Russiaʼs Kursk Oblast.
Quote from Serhii Naiev: "We have experience from other countries where the same thing happened. Please, if there are claims, including criminal ones, the claims should be investigated and answers given. Is it appropriate to do this during the war? Is it done to find the truth or maybe for other reasons?"
Details: Answering the question about the appropriateness of the trials against the former commanders, Naiev said it is necessary to look in retrospect. In particular, he recalled that this front was later reinforced with additional forces and assets under the control of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Quote from Serhii Naiev: "Therefore, no matter who we appointed, without the strength and assets, one person could not fulfil those tasks."
Background:
On 20 January, officers of the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, detained former commanders: two generals and a colonel, who are suspected of negligence that enabled the Russians to seize part of the territory of Kharkiv Oblast in May 2024.
Ukrainska Pravda sources claim that these are Brigadier General Yurii Halushkin, Lieutenant General Artur Horbenko and Colonel Ilia Lapin.
On 21 January, the court arrested Lapin.
On 22 January, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv arrested Artur Horbenko, the former commander of a separate brigade of the Territorial defence forces, for two months.
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