Kharkiv defense failure: suspected military personnel detained
On January 21, Kyiv's Pecherskyi District Court imposed pre-trial restrictions on a general and a colonel suspected of failing to defend Kharkiv Oblast during Russia's spring 2024 offensive, Suspilne reported.
Prosecutors requested custody for Colonel Illya Lapin, and the court granted the motion. He will remain in pre-trial detention for 60 days, though his lawyer, Yuriy Kryvko, stated he would appeal.
"My client attempted to prove in court that he acted correctly and in good faith to save lives. He withdrew personnel from a combat zone, believing it necessary to preserve their lives. This occurred on May 10, 2024. In practice, this was not a retreat but a maneuver," Kryvko said.
Brigadier General Yuriy Halushkin, former commander of the Kharkiv operational-tactical group, was also detained for 60 days but allowed bail of 5 million UAH ($118,000). The hearing was held behind closed doors.
According to Halushkin's lawyer, the general was discharged from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024 due to health issues and now works at Ukroboronprom, Ukraine's state defense conglomerate.
A hearing was also held in the case of ex-commander of the 155th Brigade, Dmytro Riumshyn, suspected of allowing subordinates to abandon their positions without authorization. Radio Liberty noted that the defense filed a motion to recuse the judge, postponing the pre-trial measure ruling to January 22.
Riumshyn's lawyers stated they intend to involve monitoring missions from Poland and France—countries where brigade personnel had previously trained—to observe court proceedings.
