Zelensky dismisses general due to Azov regiment accusations
Trouble's brewin': A Ukrainian military boss is slamming a general for abusing power and being an incompetent buffoon. This military dude, supposedly General Yurij Sodol, allegedly caused more deaths of Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general, claims the chief of staff, Bohdan Krotewytsch. He spilled the beans on Telegram last Sunday.
An Asow Brigade officer of the Ukrainian National Guard has brought some mighty serious charges against a military general and is urging authorities to dig deeper. There's even talk about collusion with the arch rivals, Russia. "I penned a letter to the state investigative bureau and demanded they probe a military general who, in my view, is responsible for more deaths of Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general," Krotewytsch announced on Telegram last Sunday.
According to Ukrainska Prawda and news agency Interfax Ukraine, the accusations center around General-Major Sodol, who used to command the Donetsk military group last year. In February, the ex-commander of the marine corps was offered the plum post as the new commander of Ukraine's combined forces, only to be busted for these allegations. In his Monday night video message, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that General-Major Sodol was being replaced by Brigadier-General Andrij Gnatow.
Krotewytsch isn't too concerned about potential repercussions
Krotewytsch accused General Sodol of power abuse and idiocy. It irks him that battalion and brigade commanders are taking the fall for the loss of observation posts, while the guy who's responsible for the loss of entire regions, pileups of cities, and mountains of soldiers escapes unscathed. "This chap is launching investigations against commanders who are making gains and not losing ground, but he's not launching internal investigations against himself," Krotewytsch declared.
According to Krotewytsch, he had already warned his troops about the situation. "When I talked about issues I can't divulge, I directly said what I consider to be 'war crimes,'" he said. In his opinion, '99 percent of the military' despise the general.
The situation is the same, which is why he's gone public. He's ready to take any potential sanctions in his stride, wrote Krotewytsch. "It doesn't matter to me if they launch an investigation against me, and it doesn't matter to me if they lock me up." He wishes he had taken action sooner.
The state investigative bureau reported to Interfax Ukraine and Ukrainska Prawda that they have received the complaint. "We got it yesterday, and the investigators are working on it," the agency's press service stated.
