Azov officer files complaint against state investigation bureau in case of controversial general

Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, one of the Azov The brigade commander announced on July 22 that he had filed a complaint with the court against the State Bureau of Investigation.

The complaint relates to alleged inaction in the case against former commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yuriy Sodol, Krotevych said on his Telegram channel.

Sodol was commander of the Joint Forces when the new Russian offensive began on May 10. He also led the Khortytsia force group, which encountered Russian forces in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

The general was dismissed on June 24 after Krotevych filed an official complaint with the State Investigation Bureau demanding an investigation.

Krotevych accused the general of abuse of power and incompetent leadership of the troops, which allegedly led to the loss of Ukrainian territory and personnel.

Ukrainska Pravda reported on June 29 that the State Investigation Bureau would investigate Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol’s command of Ukrainian troops during the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

According to Krotevych, his testimony against Sodol was only included in the investigation into the Russian break-in in Kharkiv Oblast in May. Although Krotevych had asked to testify as a witness, law enforcement officials did not summon him.

On July 4, the Azov official filed a complaint with the court against the State Investigation Bureau, demanding that it add relevant data to the unified register of pre-trial investigations and initiate an investigation against Sodol.

Krotevych described the office’s actions as a “blatant violation of the law” that amounted to “deliberate inaction.”

The court scheduled the hearing for July 10, involving a judge who was reportedly on vacation.

Krotevych’s lawyers managed to get an automatic reassignment of judges, but the hearing was postponed again. According to Krotevych, the new presiding judge has set the hearing for August 19, as he begins his vacation on July 15.

“These actions, as well as communication between different people and some phone calls, made it clear to me that there was an order from above not to let this case continue,” Krotevych claimed.

The office has yet to respond to Krotevych’s allegations.

The commander of the Azov Brigade added that many soldiers had approached him, willing to testify against General Sodol.

President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Sodol with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.

Previously, Hnatov had been deputy commander of the Southern Task Force since 2022.

Following the announcement, Krotevych wrote: “Hnatov is a very good officer. I hope that the news at the front will improve.”

According to the prosecutor’s office, 30 Ukrainian officials are suspected of embezzling funds intended for the military

As the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on July 19, law enforcement officials uncovered a major embezzlement scheme involving 138 million hryvnia ($3.3 million) allocated from the state budget for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.