The 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanized Brigade was formed last year as part of an initiative to expand the Ukrainian army. The initiative is supported by international partners who provide training and heavy equipment. 

The probe by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation follows reports by Ukrainian news website Censor.net that the brigade, currently stationed near the eastern city of Pokrovsk, has experienced significant losses and a high number of soldiers abandoning their posts.  

The brigade consists of around 5,800 soldiers, with just under 2,000 trained in France. Its arsenal includes French AMX-10 armored vehicles, Caesar howitzers and German Leopard 2A4 tanks. 

‘Organizational chaos’ 

Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.net, has accused Ukrainian military and political leaders of mismanagement, claiming that the unit’s establishment was marked by “complete organizational chaos.” 

He said that 2,500 experienced personnel were reassigned to other units before training began, significantly weakening the brigade. 

The brigade struggled with desertion, with around 50 soldiers fleeing during their time in France and hundreds abandoning their posts before deployment, Butusov said.  

He added that between March and November 2024, more than 1,700 soldiers went AWOL, although these figures have not been independently verified. 

Replacements for the deserters were hastily recruited but often lacked proper vetting, exacerbating the brigade's challenges, Censor.net reported.  

The brigade’s commander, Dmytro Riumshin, was dismissed in December alongside other senior officers, but his successors struggled to address the unit's deep-rooted issues, according to Butusov. 

A lack of equipment such as drones and electronic warfare systems, along with insufficient training, contributed to the brigade's struggles in combat after its deployment in November, the Kyiv Independent quoted Butusov as saying. 

However, the Kyiv Independent emphasized that it had not been able to verify the details of these claims.  

“The investigation is ongoing. It is too early to talk about any preliminary results,” the State Bureau of Investigation told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.