Commander of elite Ukraine-France brigade arrested for concealing desertions

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has detained Colonel Dmytro Ryumshin, former commander of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade, amid scandal. The SBI will charge him with failing to report criminal offenses by his subordinates, according to the bureau’s statement.

The case centers on the 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Brigade, a unit intended to showcase Ukrainian-French military cooperation in training Ukrainian soldiers. French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged support for the brigade’s training and equipment in June.

Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian media outlet Censor.net, revealed that the brigade, which deployed 1,924 service members for training in France in October and is currently stationed near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, faced significant organizational challenges.

Representatives of the French army confirmed the facts of desertion among Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into suspected desertion and abuse of authority in the Brigade, Suspilne reported on January 2.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken personal control of the situation, according to the presidential office.

The investigation found that the colonel had received information about unauthorized departures throughout the past year. The unit’s command staff reported this to him both verbally and through written reports, according to the SBI.

The commander’s inaction reportedly prevented authorities from initiating legal procedures to locate and return AWOL (absent without leave) service members.

“Some subordinates periodically left their service positions without authorization, then voluntarily returned, only to repeat this behavior, feeling complete impunity for such illegal acts,” the bureau stated.

The investigation revealed that Ryumshin had included questionable candidates for training in France. This included 22 mobilized service members from border regions who were registered elsewhere, and 15 soldiers who had faced administrative charges for attempting illegal border crossings before mobilization. Additionally, 56 brigade members deserted from training grounds in France.

The Brigade now serves in the Pokrovsk direction in Donetsk Oblast.

The General Staff reported on 7 January that the brigade “is performing combat missions near Pokrovsk at full strength” and has received additional drones and equipment.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said following the launched investigation of the 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Brigade that he is “focused on enhancing the capabilities of the brigade’s unmanned systems unit and addressing problematic issues that need to be resolved.”

On 20 January, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) also detained two Ukrainian generals and a colonel. The officials faced charges over negligence that allowed Russian forces to capture territory in Kharkiv Oblast during Russian offensive in 2024.

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