Crisis in Ukraine: Massive desertion in French-trained elite brigade

The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation has initiated an investigation into a brigade trained in France after reports surfaced in the media about multiple desertions from the group before its deployment to the front lines.

State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) communications advisor Tetiana Sapyan revealed to Interfax-Ukraine that the agency has opened an investigation into the 155th Mechanized Brigade and claims surrounding the unit's issues. 

"The SBI is indeed studying the facts presented in the media in the framework of criminal proceedings initiated under Articles 426-1 (abuse of power or official authority by a military person) and Article 408 (desertion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” Sapyan said according to Interfax-Ukraine. 

“The investigation is ongoing. It's too early to talk about any preliminary results," Sapyan continued. But what’s going on with the brigade and what claims have been made about it by Ukrainian journalists and political leaders?

Ukraine’s 155th Mechanized Brigade was partially trained in France to operate French weapons and was nicknamed the ‘Anne of Kyiv’ brigade after the popular 11th-century Kyivan princess who later became queen of France. 

According to Business Insider, the brigade has 5,800 troops, 2,000 of whom underwent training in France in 2024. The brigade was visited by the French President Emmanual Macron during a high-profile event in October. 

Equipped with some of the best Western weapons that Ukraine's European allies could provide, the 155th Mechanized Brigade was supplied with 18 AMX armored vehicles as well as several other powerful weapons, Business Insider reported. 

The brigade was also outfitted with 128 armored troop carriers, 18 truck-mounted Caesar self-propelled howitzer guns, and the vaunted German Leopard 2A4 main tank, some of the most advanced tanks given to Ukraine. 

The 155th Mechanized Brigade was set to be deployed to the frontlines in November of 2024, but by December reports had begun to surface revealing several major problems that the brigade faced, including huge desertions and a lack of drone equipment and exerience. 

As many as 1,700 troops had deserted the brigade before it was deployed to one of the hottest parts of the frontline—the Pokrovsk sector—according to the Ukrainian journalist and ‘Censor’ news outlet Editor-in-Chief Yuriy Butusov. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

"One of the leaders responsible for the formation of the brigade died of a heart attack, and the brigade commander was dismissed immediately after the brigade joined the battle.  Before the brigade fired the first shot, 1,700 soldiers had arbitrarily left it," Butusov claimed according to Interfax-Ukraine. 

 Butusov continued, adding that the creation of the brigade, its commanders, lack of drone and electronic warfare equipment, and relative inexperience needed to be questioned. 

Butusov’s report drew criticism and outcry from Ukrainian politicians and military leaders according to Business Insider, including Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, Chief of Staff of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, and the high-profile Ukrainian lawyer and activist Serhii Sternenko. 

"Perhaps it's sheer idiocy to create new brigades and equip them with new technology while existing ones are undermanned," Krotevych remarked in a post on X translated by Business Insider. 

The situation has garnered international attention and Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi has taken a special interest in the unit, ordering that it be reinforced following Butusov’s report about the brigade.  

"I paid special attention to building up the capabilities of the unmanned systems unit of the 155th Mechanized Brigade, as well as to the problematic issues that need to be resolved," Syrskyi said according to The Kyiv Independent. 

What Ukraine’s investigation into the 155th Mechanized Brigade will reveal is unknown, but the unit was meant to serve as a flagship project on how NATO countries would train and equip Ukrainian forces, according to The Kyiv Independent. The issues that have arisen could cause some to question the value of such training in the future. 

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