Guilty parties or scapegoats? What do military leaders say about the arrests of generals?

Such cases involving four combat officers have not been seen in three years of full-scale war. This process has sparked significant public interest and intense debate, especially among military personnel: some argue that "judging is insufficient," while others believe these are show trials that humiliate and demotivate the army.

So, is this a case of treason and just accountability for unlawful actions, or is it a political vendetta and an attempt to find scapegoats for the command's failures? How are other officers in the army reacting, and what are they discussing now? This is explored in the hromadske article.

Why are they looking for scapegoats for the Kharkiv breakthrough?

Kharkiv region, May 10. At 3 AM, several battalions of infantry attacked Ukrainian forces, breaching the border at two locations — towards the village of Liptsy and the city of Volchansk. Almost immediately, the occupiers seized six border villages. The 125th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defense was defending a 45-kilometer stretch of the border but was forced to retreat. Fighting lasted for five days.

The defense against the assault was led by Lieutenant General Arthur Gorbenko, who is now in custody. The State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal case against him the day after the border breach. A month later, the brigade commander announced he was stepping down from his position.

In court, he did not provide comments. However, during the summer, he explained to hromadske that there was a shortage of weapons and personnel. To maintain such a defensive line, four times more personnel were needed.

“We had no heavy weapons. I was provided with reinforcements, but it was minimal: a few pieces of artillery and a small amount of armored vehicles. The brigade engaged in combat from the beginning of the offensive,” said the brigade commander.

Yes, there was a temporary loss of certain positions, but I, as the brigade commander, led the fight for those five and a half days. On the second day, the State Bureau of Investigation initiated proceedings. It seems as though materials were prepared in advance.Arthur Gorbenko, former commander of the 125th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defense

Another issue in this story is the management decisions made by the higher military command and fortifications. As noted in the investigation by hromadske, there were serious problems with them by the time of the offensive. The responsibility here — does not lie with the military. This matter was handled by the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration. The fortifications, which cost hundreds of millions, were either incomplete, inadequate, or, in some cases, such as in Liptsy, non-existent. The so-called “dragon's teeth” were scattered or along the roads.

“We were there for over a year. No matter what anyone says, we are not ashamed of the tasks we accomplished. According to all directives, a battalion should be stationed every 3.5-5 km. However, we held a 45 km stretch with four incomplete battalions. Everyone knows, and we reported, that it is impossible to maintain defense with such a number of personnel on that stretch,” explained one of the brigade's servicemen on the condition of anonymity.

However, some military personnel blame the failure of the defense specifically on the commanders.

“The investigation will show who was there and what happened. But in my opinion, judging is insufficient. We left Donbas not in the best condition and took over fortifications that essentially did not exist. And since winter, when there were more '200s' and '300s', he reported that the situation was under control,” said another soldier from the 125th brigade during an interview on “Radio Svoboda” .

“Look at those famous 'dragon's teeth' near Liptsy, they are just lying there in heaps. And here are our real fortifications, where we hide, just so you understand. In each of these holes sits a soldier,” — pointed out former commander of the OUN battalion, Nikolai Kohanovsky, in a video showcasing the state of defense preparations. The video, dated May 16, was released by his wife. Nikolai himself died less than a month later.

He served as a soldier in a separate rifle battalion, whose commander — Colonel Ilya Lapin — has also been detained. Similarly, the commander of the operational-tactical group “Kharkiv,” General Yuri Galushkin.

“No matter what you do, you will be made a scapegoat?”

“In the first photo, Deputy Commander of the Airborne Assault Forces, Colonel Yuri Alimovich Galushkin, carries an injured soldier from an evacuation vehicle during operations at Donetsk Airport (2014). In the second photo, Brigadier General Galushkin, clearly in danger (as he stands in a "box" behind glass), listens to the judge before being sent to pre-trial detention for two months. In the general's eyes, it is evident that this is the most painful humiliation of his life and honorable service in the army,” — writes “cyborg” and head of the patrol police, Evgeny Zhukov.

Many military personnel have also spoken out in support of the generals, considering the manner of their detention and the million-dollar bail amounts. The conclusion that emerges and thickens the atmosphere in officer circles is roughly as follows: it seems the goal is not to understand and correct mistakes but to assign blame for the failures.

This is simply a signal to the entire army and society that finally, we have found those responsible for the problems that have unfortunately become systemic at the front. That's all.Alexander Pogrebisky, commander of the drone systems battalion

Pogrebisky personally knew and served with Yuri Galushkin when Galushkin was the commander of the Territorial Defense Forces at the start of the large-scale war.

“He is an officer of honor. Yes, he has never held positions that involve military command of combat operations; he has always been in administrative roles. But the question here is not about him, but about those who appointed him as commander of the operational-tactical group,” says Pogrebisky in a comment to hromadske.

“I do not presume to judge how the defense was organized there since I am not familiar with the situation; my level and location are elsewhere. But the way the investigation is being conducted is simply shocking to many officers, battalion commanders, and brigade commanders, to put it mildly.”

“And, obviously, demotivating?” — I ask the battalion commander.

“Yes. Now any brigade or battalion commander will understand: no matter what you do, if someone 'above' wants it, you can be made a scapegoat for any mistake. Right now, signals to 'find yourself a lawyer' are already being sent to the commander of the 46th brigade, Colonel Zolotarev.”

And how do you think brigade commanders will perform their duties now? Initiatively, taking responsibility? No.Alexander Pogrebisky, commander of the drone systems battalion

“And when a brigade commander is given, excuse my French, 122 shells for a week to conduct defensive operations, with a norm of 40 shells per day, then it is probably not the brigade commander's fault that he cannot ensure proper defense,” — Pogrebisky cannot hold back.

“Commanders should only be judged by those who have been in their shoes”

Such detentions undermine the morale of officers, believes Alexander Shirshin, commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Like many military personnel, he has questions regarding a broader circle of suspects.

“Apparently, there is a certain goal in this work. They want to gently lead towards holding accountable those who are not entirely in their place. But I simply do not understand why there are no questions for much larger and more important players.

There are many questions regarding the Kharkiv region. But I do not think these are the key people to focus on. Even if there is a certain guilt on their part,” Shirshin told hromadske.

The commander is personally acquainted with another former brigade commander, who was assigned a record bail of 90 million — Dmitry Ryumshin