Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders are summoned for questioning due to retreat in the Kharkov direction

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The command of the 125th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is summoned for questioning by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in connection with the retreat in the Kharkov region. This was reported by the former brigade commander Artur Gorbenko.

In an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, he noted that interrogations began in May. According to the ex-commander, it was then that the State Bureau of Investigation began calling him and other officers, sergeants and soldiers for interrogation.

Gorbenko emphasized that the top military leadership “forgets” about the tactics of withdrawing troops. “For some reason, we perceive recusal as abandoning positions, which is a criminal offense. “I know of many cases when, immediately after leaving positions, criminal cases are initiated against certain commanders of companies, battalions and brigades,” he said, adding that after the start of the SBI investigation, he was dismissed from the post of commander.

He also noted that the fortifications for which the Kharkov regional administration was responsible were in poor condition.

Earlier, a scandal arose in the country due to the unpreparedness of defensive lines in the Kharkiv region. Some servicemen claimed that the funds allocated for equipping defensive lines were stolen by local authorities.

Kyiv previously acknowledged that the situation in the Kharkiv region was extremely difficult for Ukrainian troops. On May 14, the General Staff of Ukraine reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were forced to «move to more advantageous positions» in the area of ​​​​Volchansk and Lukyantsy. The military leadership also reported the transfer of additional reserves to the region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that some of these units are being transferred from other directions. On May 16, he held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters in Kharkiv and described this direction as extremely difficult. In May, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the liberation of a number of settlements in the Kharkiv region and the continuation of the advance into the enemy's defenses. In mid-May, the US State Department described the situation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv direction as “incredibly dire.”