Three senior military officials were detained in Ukraine amid the loss of territory in the Kharkov region. The State Investigation Bureau, known as GBR, identifies them as two generals and one colonel.
The bureau says the conduct of troops from a Kharkov region unit in May 2024 led to personnel and weapons losses, undermining border defense measures and accountability.
The bureau has not released the names, but reports circulating identify the officers as General Yuri Galushkin, Lieutenant General Arthur Gorbenko and Colonel Ilya Lapin.
The investigation highlights Galushkin’s actions, including proposing infantry positions that did not match the unit’s capabilities and attempting to reinforce them with other units. He is also accused of failing to spell out enemy maneuver plans fully and neglecting to coordinate artillery and air support for brigade units.
Lieutenant General Gorbenko is said to have underestimated the adversary’s capabilities, failed to establish proper defensive positions, assigned inflated tasks to battalions, and neglected ensuring the presence of all brigade personnel, including civilians.
Finally, Colonel Lapin, along with officers Strechye, Liptsy and Slobozhanskoye, did not organize the defense of settlements and allowed positions to be abandoned.
Prosecutors say the investigation is weighing delayed suspicion for lax attitude toward military service. The colonel is also accused of unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield. Under Ukrainian law, the three may face imprisonment for up to ten years.
Officials note that once suspicion is declared, a preventive measure will be chosen that restricts personal liberty.
Mass desertion
The GBR also detained a former commander associated with the Kyiv Brigade. The official name was not released, but reports indicate he is Dmitry Rumumshin.
Rumumshin is accused of helping conceal the flight of soldiers from the brigade. He allegedly failed to respond to unit crimes, including unauthorized abandonment, and did not forward information about offenses to authorities during the investigation. Subordinates reportedly provided him with reports that were ignored.
The chief prosecutor’s office notes that desertion cases occurred during exercises in the region and while carrying out tasks on the eastern front. Some subordinates reportedly left their posts temporarily, then returned on their own and faced no punishment.
The case raises questions about the conduct of military officials under martial law. Investigators will also examine possible corruption schemes within the brigade, including recruitment for overseas training and bribery related to personnel placements.
The Kyiv Brigade, reportedly named after a French monarch, trained with Western equipment.
A later report suggested severe desertions within the brigade during preparation, with about 1,700 soldiers leaving from roughly 5,800. The actual unit size dropped markedly, contributing to setbacks near Pokrovsk on the eastern front.