New details of the scandalous investigation: who surrendered Southern Ukraine to Russian occupiers

New details of the scandalous investigation: who surrendered Southern Ukraine to Russian occupiers

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is analyzing military documentation, examining the actions of the command that influenced the rapid occupation of the South in 2022.

Active court processes have started in Ukraine concerning military leaders whom the State Bureau of Investigation suspects of involvement in the breakthrough of the state border by occupants in the Kharkiv region in the spring of 2024. A year ago, the publication "Glavcom" reported the start of this high-profile investigation – at that time, it involved 28 servicemen of various ranks.

However, during the three years of Russian armed aggression, breaches of Ukrainian defence were unfortunately observed not only in the Kharkiv region. One of them (significantly larger in scale than the Kharkiv one) occurred in the southern part of Ukraine in the early days of the full-scale invasion. The enemy captured the entire Kherson region, nearly half of the Zaporizhzhya region, and part of the Mykolaiv region. As of early 2025, the Ukrainian army continues to control the right bank of the Kherson region, liberated in November 2022.

In parallel with the front-line combat actions, the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting its own "battle." Since mid-April 2022, investigators have been analyzing military documentation, uncovering planning failures of the command which affected the swift occupation of the South. Journalists from the publication "Glavcom" have long been piecing together the mosaic of the investigation through court registries and their sources in pre-trial investigation bodies.

"Sometimes territories are surrendered to the enemy to save the army"

The subject of the SBI’s criminal proceedings regarding the military events that unfolded in the South in the 20s of February 2022 strikes with loud qualifications: "Circumstances of possible state treason and improper organization of defence measures by officials of Ukraine’s mainland are being established, including the possible non-organization of defensive lines, particularly the mining of structures, bridges, dams, roads for their subsequent demolition." Law enforcers believe that had the appropriate set of military measures, including the demolition of bridges, dams, and roads, been conducted, it would have made it impossible for the rapid advance of Russian Armed Forces into the territory of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions from the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

As archival maps from the analytical resource DeepState show, the seizure of Ukrainian territory bordering the annexed Crimean peninsula appeared sudden. On the first day of the full-scale war, February 24, 2022, the Russian occupying army practically took control of the Kherson region and moved towards Mykolaiv, Melitopol, and Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhya region.

On the first day of the great war, the Russian army practically took control of the Kherson region / data: DeepState

As of March 2, 2022, the invaders already completely dominated the Sea of Azov along the land line from Crimea to Mariupol.

By March 2, 2022, the invaders completely dominated the Sea of Azov along the land line from Crimea to Mariupol / data: DeepState

In June 2022, the author of this material conducted an extensive interview with the then head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, now deceased Hennadiy Lahuta. As a witness to the Russian occupation, the former official recounted: on February 25, he had to leave Kherson, into which Russians stormed with military equipment. On that day, the 124th Territorial Defence Brigade and the 59th Armed Forces Brigade were leaving the city.

Lahuta insisted that the reason for the rapid occupation of the Kherson region was the Russian armada entering through two entry-exit checkpoints "Kalanchak" and "Chonhar," which no one could hold back.

"Both the army and special services, as well as the police, acted correctly, retreating to better positions. This made it possible to prevent the occupation of Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhya, and prevent everyone from perishing in the Kherson region. This happens in war: sometimes territories are surrendered to preserve the army, which will later reclaim occupied territories and expel the invader from its land," explained the former chief of Kherson. And, in principle, his words came true, as Kherson was subsequently de-occupied.

Regarding why the bridges were not blown up, Lahuta added: he raised this issue with the military. He stated that from the first days of the war he insisted on blowing up the Antonivskyi Bridge, as well as the railway bridge in Kherson. "The military supported me, but it didn’t work out," – it was felt from the conversation that the then regional chief was hiding something...

What "uncovered" the investigation?

"Glavcom" obtained a series of court rulings dated 2023-2024 on the case of the failure of the South’s defence. SBI investigators checked phone contacts of servicemen in the command cadre of the "South" group and the Joint Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, a version was analyzed regarding the possible involvement of individuals who were knowledgeable about the defence measures, participated in organizing and implementing the Defence Operation Plan of the "South" military group, in reconnaissance-sabotage activities against Ukraine. Law enforcers examined military calls from January 2021 to December 2022.

SBI investigates a criminal case of state treason and neglectful attitude to military service / extract from the court registry

Additionally, the SBI obtained access through the court to several documents containing state secrets; encrypted telegrams; orders; directives; instructions; training plans (coordination); other organizational and operational documents in paper and electronic form; other logs concerning the arrival, stay, training (coordination), and departure during the period from June 2021 to March 2022 of personnel along with weapons and military equipment. Specifically, the documentation withdrawal pertained to certain military units. The list of them was compiled from the received court documents by "Glavcom":

• 9th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade;

• 10th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade;

• 11th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade;

• 137th Separate Marine Battalion of the 35th Separate Marine Brigade;

• detachment of the 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion;

• 2nd Missile Battalion of the 19th Missile Brigade;

• 2nd Tank Company of the 12th Separate Tank Battalion;

• 3rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Battery of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion of the 38th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment;

• 3rd Rocket Artillery Battalion of the 32nd Rocket Artillery Regiment;

• 1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion of the 1129th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment;

• 3rd Artillery Battalion of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade;

• 3rd Anti-Tank Battery of the Anti-Tank Battalion of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade;

• 9th Artillery Battery of the 3rd Artillery Battalion of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade;

• combined engineering detachment of the 808th Separate Support Regiment;

• 66th Separate Gun Artillery Battalion of the 406th Separate Artillery Brigade.

Also in December of last year, the SBI obtained a heap of classified documents needed for conducting a military examination. Among them are the Defence Forces Operation Plan (graphic part); the concept for the use of a grouping of heterogeneous forces in the defence forces operation; the concept for the use of a grouping of heterogeneous forces in the defence forces operation (graphic part); the Intelligence Plan during the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other components of the defence forces during a military crisis situation of a military nature.

By the way, regarding examinations. There are eight in total: seven commission explosive technical examinations and a commission military examination, as indicated in the SBI’s response to "Glavcom’s" inquiry. The investigation assures that as of January 13, 2025, no suspicions were reported in the criminal proceedings regarding the "surrender" of the South.

Within the framework of the pre-trial investigation, eight examinations were appointed: seven commission explosive technical and a commission military

Meanwhile, in almost three years of investigation, the SBI has interviewed about 500 people. Interviews are ongoing, added the law enforcement agency.

A general who was silent speaks

Two years ago, a Ukrainian media speculated that the main figures in the case of the South’s "surrender" could be former Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, and Major General Andriy Sokolov, who from October 2021 and as of the beginning of the great war was the commander of the "South" forces management.

Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev was expelled from the circle of top military leaders following the change of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. This happened on February 11, 2024 / photo: Serhiy Nayev/Facebook

General Nayev, after the change of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, lost his position as Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine based on the presidential decree of February 11, 2024. Since then, Serhiy Nayev has mostly appeared on social media as a volunteer: frequently visiting military hospitals, handing out equipment, and posing for photos with wounded soldiers.

However, at the beginning of 2025, the former Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces gave several interviews. In one of them, the military confessed that back in 2014, at his own risk (since martial law was not then active – "Glavcom"), commanders gave the order to mine part of the territory between the Kherson region and Crimea. According to Nayev, five bridges were mined and a total of 1.5 thousand mines were laid. In particular, at Chonhar, two road bridges, a railway bridge, and small land areas were mined.

"As a result of decisions made on February 24, 2022, not significantly earlier, on this direction (at the border with the annexed Crimean peninsula), the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade, one battalion, and separate units were stationed. There were not enough forces (to resist the enemy), and they did not manage to enact a series of measures to prepare for defence. During the attack on the Crimean direction, the enemy had a significant advantage (over Ukrainian defenders) – 15-17 times," – stated Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev.

Author: Vitaliy Taranenko