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

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Posted on 01/03/2025 1:34:12 PM PST by Navy Patriot

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation is probing a brigade specially trained to use French weapons after reports that hundreds of soldiers deserted the unit.

Tetyana Sapian, a spokesperson for the investigative agency, told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday that authorities had launched a criminal investigation into abuse of power and desertion at the 155th Mechanized Brigade.

"The investigation is ongoing. It is too early to talk about any preliminary results," she said.

The infantry brigade, named "Anne of Kyiv" after an 11th-century Kyiv princess who became a queen of France, has about 5,800 soldiers. Around 2,000 of them underwent months of training in France in 2024.

There, they enjoyed a relatively high profile; French President Emmanuel Macron personally met several of 155th's battalions during a public visit ...

But a report last week by Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov said the brigade has been buckling from desertion and leadership issues, even before it was deployed to Pokrovsk.

"Before the brigade fired the first shot, 1,700 servicemen left it voluntarily," wrote Butusov.

He did not provide evidence for his claim, but published a tally of the unit's strength over time that said hundreds of men deserted monthly from March to November, forcing the 155th to keep replenishing personnel.

A key factor in the desertion rate, Butusov wrote, was that many in the unit had been forcibly recruited off Ukraine's streets. About 50 men also went AWOL while the unit was training in France, Butusov added.

Uncertainty also hangs over the 155th's leadership. Days into its deployment on the front line, the brigade's commander, Col. Dmytro Ryumshin, abruptly announced that he would step down. Ryumshin, a seasoned officer with experience commanding two other brigades, thanked his troops in a Facebook post, saying that the 155th had undergone a "tough but significant journey."

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...

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Frog Surrender Monkeys train Uke Nazi Forced Conscripts to Desert and Surrender, ... a very wise choice, saving their souls.

1 posted on 01/03/2025 1:34:12 PM PST by Navy Patriot

To: Navy Patriot

2 posted on 01/03/2025 1:38:55 PM PST by I-ambush (From the brightest star comes the blackest hole. You had so much to offer, why didya offer your sou?)

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