'Negative lesson' — Ground Forces chief acknowledges desertions, mismanagement in French-trained brigade
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.
The general's remarks followed a media investigation that claimed soldiers of the unit, currently deployed near Pokrovsk, have suffered losses and gone AWOL (absent without leave) in large numbers due to poor command and organization within Ukraine’s military leadership.
The 155th Brigade, formed with support from Ukraine’s Western partners, was intended to be a flagship project to train new military units equipped with heavy weaponry. French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement in June that France would provide training and military supplies was part of this initiative.
The brigade was meant to consist of about 5,800 troops, but fewer than 2,000 have undergone training in France. Despite Paris fulfilling its commitments for training and arms provision, an investigation led by Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Ukrainian media outlet Censor.net, pointed to problems in the creation and management of the brigade allegedly leading to 1,700 cases of soldiers going AWOL from the unit before it fired a shot.
According to Butusov, the failure to provide critical equipment, such as drones and electronic warfare tools, hampered the brigade’s combat readiness when it was deployed in November.
Martin Fornusek
"There are problems, and there were problems in staffing, training, and partially in the command staff," Drapatyi said. "This is all consciously analyzed, and certain conclusions have been drawn."
The general added that lessons learned from these difficulties are being used to improve the brigade and avoid similar issues in the future.
Drapatyi acknowledged these challenges, pointing out that desertion was often driven by fear and a lack of combat experience.
"There are many manifestations of unauthorized abandonment of military units, but there are also reasons for this," he said. "There is the fear of the personnel […], and sometimes the lack of practical experience in combat operations."
Of the 1,924 soldiers sent to France, only 51 had more than a year of military service, while 1,414 had served less than two months, according to the Censor.net investigation.
The commander emphasized that the military is actively addressing the brigade’s issues. "I confirm that there were problematic issues with the command staff and the training process, and they are all being resolved now," he said.
Despite the challenges, Drapatyi remained optimistic about the brigade’s future. "The brigade is developing, fighting, inflicting losses on the enemy," he said.
The report comes amid growing calls for reform within Ukraine’s military leadership as Kyiv grapples with intensifying pressure in its war with Russia.
Emmanuelle Chaze
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