State Investigation Bureau (DBR) of Ukraine said on Monday that it had detained two generals and a colonel suspected of negligence in failing to adequately defend against a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region last year.
The DBR said in a statement on social media the detained officers were the former chief commander of the Kharkiv frontline, a former commander of a brigade and a former commander of an infantry battalion. It did not give their names.
Russia launched an assault across the border in May 2024 into the northern region of Kharkiv in Ukraine, advancing by several kilometres in the first few days.
The attack alarmed Ukraine, causing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cancel scheduled foreign trips and fire several military commanders as he dealt with the unfolding crisis.
Ukraine’s military was eventually able to halt the Russian advance about 25 kilometres away from the edge of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which Russia had unsuccessfully attempted to capture at the start of its invasion in 2022 before pulling back.
The DBR said it had co-operated with Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service in the case and had been assisted by the defence ministry and the military command.
Meanwhile, Russian forces took control of two more settlements in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Defence Ministry of Russia stated, the latest in a series of gains it has reported in its steady advance westward.
The ministry statement said Russian forces were now in control of Petropavlivka, a village between the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, which have been focal points in fighting in recent months.
It also noted the capture of Vremivka, one of a cluster of small towns further south in the Donetsk region.
Battlefield reports could not independently be verified from either side in the 34-month-old conflict initiated by Russia.
Ukrainian military statements did not mention either of the two villages changing hands but referred to heavy fighting near the key city of Pokrovsk.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
