Mass Desertions Plague Elite Ukrainian Brigade Trained By France

Ukrainian and Western media reports are confirming that members of an elite Ukrainian brigade trained by French forces have deserted in alarming numbers, some before ever stepping foot into battle against Russia.

The 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanized Brigade, currently deployed near Pokrovsk, has been plagued by desertions and lack of properly accounting for troops. Some sources have described “organizational chaos” in the Western-backed initiative. 

At least 50 members of the brigade actually went AWOL while training inside France. The brigade later was sent to the battlefield with numbers greatly depleted.

“About 1,700 soldiers from a Ukrainian unit equipped by the West and trained in France went AWOL before firing a shot,” The Telegraph writes. “At least 50 members of the new 155th mechanized brigade, one of the few to operate the Leopard 2 battle tank, disappeared while elements of the unit were being drilled in France.”

“By the time it entered battle for the first time, at least 1,700 of its troops went absent without leave at numerous points. Some 500 soldiers were still missing, it was reported as recently as November,” the report indicates further.

Originally the brigade was supposed to have about 5,800 troops, but less than 2,000 have gone through the French training program, with many unaccounted for.

Ukrainian military officials are admitting the problem, for example in the following regional media account:

Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, acknowledged significant challenges within the French-trained 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanized Brigade, including high desertion rates and poor organization, during a Jan. 6 press conference.

“Of course, this is a negative lesson, a negative experience, but it should be converted into some kind of preventative action,” Drapatyi said.

Drapatyi acknowledged that fear and lack of combat experience are the main elements driving the desertions.

“There are many manifestations of unauthorized abandonment of military units, but there are also reasons for this,” he was cited in the Kyiv Independent as saying. “There is the fear of the personnel, and sometimes the lack of practical experience in combat operations.”

Organizational Chaos…

The unit was also plagued by large numbers of soldiers going AWOL — about 50 deserted in France, in addition to hundreds who left their posts even before the unit was deployed at the front, according to the journalist.
“It was organizational chaos,”https://t.co/yc60iXE9su

— Dalia Kingsley (@DaliaKingsley) January 6, 2025

But the 155th was supposed to be somewhat of an ‘elite’ brigade, and equipped with the best equipment. For months, however, there have been constant reports from the front lines of a steady Russian advance.

Significantly, The Washington Post has written this week that ”Ukraine is in an increasingly dire state as Russia captures territory at the fastest pace since the start of the invasion, with Moscow capitalizing on its greatest advantage: manpower.”