Ukraine launches investigation into improper organization of defense in Kharkiv region

Ukraine’s State Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation against the 125th Brigade and its subordinate units for lack of preparation and improper organization of defense in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 25, citing previously filed court documents.

Russia launched a new offensive on May 10 in the northern Kharkiv Oblast and concentrated its efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, settlements a few kilometers south of the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Moscow’s forces advanced up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the region but were stopped by the first line of defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 17.

According to the preliminary investigation listed in the court document, the 125th Brigade and its subordinate units “did not properly organize the defense of positions on the border of Kharkiv Oblast,” which was due to a “negligent attitude towards military service.”

The resulting Russian offensive “resulted in the loss of positions, military equipment and unit personnel,” the court document continues.

Investigators also said other positions had been “abandoned” by Ukrainian defenders.

The investigation will examine the actions of nearly 30 commanders and officials of the 125th Brigade and its subordinate units to determine whether there is a causal link between their actions and the subsequent Ukrainian losses.

This is a criminal investigation and the document does not specify any possible penalties or punishments if criminal guilt is found.

Ukrainian politicians told Politico in early May that the US ban on using Western weapons against Russian troops massing across the Russian border contributed to the early successes of the offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

At the same time, Ukrainian military commander Denis Yaroslavsky stated in an interview with the BBC published on May 13 that the Russian breakthrough was due to the lack of preparation of the Ukrainian defenders.

“There was no first line of defense. We saw that. The Russians just invaded. They just invaded without any minefields,” Yaroslavsky said.

“It was either an act of negligence or corruption. It was not a failure. It was a betrayal,” he added.

Russia’s latest offensive in Kharkiv Oblast strains Ukrainian defenses

Russia’s two-pronged attack on Kharkiv Oblast, which began on May 10, is taking advantage of Ukraine’s lack of troops and forcing the country to make difficult decisions about the use of reserves. Two weeks after the offensive began, a group of Russian forces is already fighting in the streets of the city of Vovchansk.