By Maria Varenikova
In response to mounting public demand to tackle issues concerning military leadership on the frontline, as Ukrainian troops continue to lose territory to Russian assaults, Ukraine announced the detention of three former commanders deemed responsible for last spring’s territorial losses.
On Monday evening, Ukraine’s security service reported that the three detained individuals — comprising two generals and one colonel — were accused of failing to defend the northeastern Kharkiv region from advancing Russian forces last year.
The SBU, Ukraine’s security service, did not disclose the names of those apprehended, revealing only their ranks and the units they were leading at that time.
These former commanders face allegations of neglecting to construct sufficient fortifications or adequately equip defensive positions, along with various errors that “resulted in the loss of parts of the territory in the eastern region of Ukraine, where intense conflict is currently taking place,” according to a statement from the security service.
The detentions occur amid increasing public calls for accountability against commanders perceived as ineffective or negligent, especially as desertions within the Ukrainian military rise. Soldiers departing their units without authorization frequently cite conflicts with their commanders as their primary justification.
The colonel is also being held accountable for 12 soldiers from his battalion abandoning their posts, according to a statement. Additionally, another brigade commander, from the 155th brigade, has been arrested and charged with actions that resulted in many members of his brigade going AWOL at a time when the Ukrainian military is critically understaffed.
Ukraine is also focusing on tackling corruption within the military, in light of widespread reports of bribery by military officials—especially medical officers who can grant exemption from the draft.
On Tuesday, the SBU revealed that the nation’s chief military psychiatrist had been detained, having allegedly accumulated over $1 million since Russia’s large-scale invasion began, amassing multiple properties and four BMW vehicles.
The offenses for which the commanders are being charged can result in prison terms of up to 10 years. The SBU indicated its intention to request pretrial detention for those apprehended as a precautionary measure.
Soldiers from the 125th brigade, involved in the defense of the Kharkiv region during that period, expressed their anger upon learning that their former commander was among those arrested.
“We were defending a vast stretch of the border, we fought to the end in the initial hours of the assault. We were lacking personnel, ammunition, and support, but we stood our ground, we fought under our commander’s leadership!” they stated on the brigade’s Facebook page.
