The State Bureau of Investigation detained former commander of the Kharkiv Operational Tactical Unit, Yuriy Halushkin, upon his release from custody.

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations, in collaboration with the Security Service, have uncovered new evidence in the case regarding the border breach in the Kharkiv region and have arrested former commander of the Joint Task Force "Kharkiv," Yuriy Halushkin.

This was reported by the DBR press service. 

Law enforcement officials discovered that during the defense of the Lypetska community in the Kharkiv region, General Halushkin misjudged the situation and underestimated the threat of a Russian offensive, thereby contributing to the unauthorized withdrawal of troops from the battlefield by the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade.

According to the investigation, the commander ignored available intelligence, assessed the Russian advance in that area as "unlikely," and subsequently issued orders and directives to his subordinates that did not align with the actual situation.

"Due to miscalculations in command and the unauthorized retreat of soldiers and certain units of the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade from their positions, the strategic initiative was lost, allowing the enemy to penetrate the brigade's defensive line by up to 10 km, which enabled them to shell Kharkiv again with artillery," the DBR reports. 

As a result, during the first day of the enemy's offensive, nearly a hundred Ukrainian servicemen were wounded, killed, or went missing. The DBR is preparing a new charge against General Halushkin for facilitating the unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield or the refusal to act with weaponry. 

Halushkin was released from pre-trial detention today after a bail of 5 million UAH was posted on his behalf.

Recall that on January 20, the DBR and the SBU detained Brigadier General Yuriy Halushkin, Lieutenant General Artur Horbenko, and Colonel Ilya Lapin. According to law enforcement, due to military negligence, the Russians managed to seize part of the territory of the Lypetska rural territorial community in Kharkiv region in May of last year. The actions of the commanders also led to losses in personnel and weaponry, disrupting defense measures along the state border within their area of responsibility.

On January 21, the court imposed preventive measures on the commanders: Lapin was sent to detention for 60 days, while Halushkin was placed under custody for 60 days with the possibility of posting bail of 5 million UAH.

On January 22, the court also ordered the detention of Artur Horbenko. He can be released on bail of 25 million UAH, reports hromadske.