Ukraine is investigating its special French-trained brigade after reports of mass desertion and command problems

• Ukraine’s investigators are probing the a hundred and fifty fifth Mechanized Brigade, a unit partially educated by France.

• Nicknamed “Anne of Kyiv,” the extremely publicized brigade was an effort by France to bolster Ukraine’s defenses.

• Nevertheless it’s come beneath scrutiny after a Ukrainian reporter mentioned 1,700 of its troops had abandoned.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation is probing a brigade specifically educated to make use of French weapons after reviews that tons of of troopers abandoned the unit.

Tetyana Sapian, a spokesperson for the investigative company, advised Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday that authorities had launched a prison investigation into abuse of energy and desertion on the a hundred and fifty fifth Mechanized Brigade.

“The investigation is ongoing. It’s too early to speak about any preliminary outcomes,” she mentioned.

The infantry brigade, named “Anne of Kyiv” after an Eleventh-century Kyiv princess who grew to become a queen of France, has about 5,800 troopers. Round 2,000 of them underwent months of coaching in France in 2024.

There, they loved a comparatively excessive profile; French President Emmanuel Macron personally met several of 155th’s battalions throughout a public go to to a French base in October.

Paris armed the brigade with its personal weaponry, together with 18 AMX 10 armored automobiles, 18 truck-mounted Caesar howitzers, and 128 armored troop carriers. The unit additionally fields a few of Germany’s prized Leopard 2A4 predominant battle tanks.

By November, the a hundred and fifty fifth was set to hit the entrance strains, with French officers saying these Ukrainian troops have been now outfitted to battle with Western battlefield coaching.

1,700 desertions, warfare reporter says

However a report last week by Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov mentioned the brigade has been buckling from desertion and management points, even earlier than it was deployed to Pokrovsk.

“Earlier than the brigade fired the primary shot, 1,700 servicemen left it voluntarily,” wrote Butusov.

He didn’t present proof for his declare, however revealed a tally of the unit’s power over time that mentioned tons of of males abandoned month-to-month from March to November, forcing the a hundred and fifty fifth to maintain replenishing personnel.

A key issue within the desertion price, Butusov wrote, was that many within the unit had been forcibly recruited off Ukraine’s streets. About 50 males additionally went AWOL whereas the unit was coaching in France, Butusov added.

Uncertainty additionally hangs over the a hundred and fifty fifth’s management. Days into its deployment on the entrance line, the brigade’s commander, Col. Dmytro Ryumshin, abruptly introduced that he would step down. Ryumshin, a seasoned officer with expertise commanding two different brigades, thanked his troops in a Facebook post, saying that the a hundred and fifty fifth had undergone a “robust however vital journey.”

He was changed by Col. Maksimov Taras Viktorovych, a former commander of the 14th Mechanized Brigade.

Troops divvied up for different items

The a hundred and fifty fifth has additionally been shifting troopers to different items in want of replenishment, and in response to Butusov, it is handled not less than seven vital personnel modifications since March.

Drone-jamming specialists within the a hundred and fifty fifth, for instance, needed to fill infantry roles amid a manpower scarcity, he wrote.

Mariana Bezuhla, a controversial Ukrainian member of parliament recognized for criticizing army management, said in early December that the a hundred and fifty fifth was being “torn to items, seconded to others.”

“Even the truth that the French tried to make the brigade specialised didn’t put it aside from the silly army selections of our generals and tore the unit aside,” she mentioned.

Butusov’s report has since drawn outcry amongst Ukrainian figures, similar to Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, who serves as chief of employees within the Azov Brigade.

“Maybe it is sheer idiocy to create new brigades and equip them with new expertise whereas present ones are undermanned,” he wrote on X.

Serhii Sternenko, a widely known Ukrainian lawyer who provides crowdfunded drones to military units, mentioned his group was aiding the a hundred and fifty fifth as a result of the brigade lacked formally supplied drones and jammers.

“Why create a brand new brigade when present brigades are critically understaffed, solely to later divide it and switch personnel to the previous brigades? What is the level?” he wrote on Tuesday on his Telegram channel.

The brigade’s destiny threatens to mar the legacy of Macron’s efforts to place France as a staunch ally of Ukraine. Paris has pledged some $3 billion in army support to Kyiv, and Macron has been one of the crucial vocal European leaders pushing for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

He is additionally floated the concept of sending French troops to Ukraine if Russia have been to attain an enormous breakthrough.

The French and Ukrainian Protection Ministries didn’t reply to requests for remark despatched exterior common enterprise hours by Enterprise Insider.

The a hundred and fifty fifth Mechanized Brigade additionally didn’t reply to an analogous request despatched through electronic mail by BI.

Total, the “Anne of Kyiv” brigade is only one of a number of coaching tasks that France and Europe have been engaged on with Ukraine. Since late 2022, over 63,000 Ukrainian troops have been educated beneath the European Union Military Assistance Mission, a EU-funded program that will get member states to show and equip Kyiv’s forces.

This system has a $420 million funds for the subsequent two years ending in November 2026.

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