Posted on 01/03/2025 1:34:12 PM PST by Navy Patriot
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation is probing a brigade specially trained to use French weapons after reports that hundreds of soldiers deserted the unit.
Tetyana Sapian, a spokesperson for the investigative agency, told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday that authorities had launched a criminal investigation into abuse of power and desertion at the 155th Mechanized Brigade.
"The investigation is ongoing. It is too early to talk about any preliminary results," she said.
The infantry brigade, named "Anne of Kyiv" after an 11th-century Kyiv princess who became a queen of France, has about 5,800 soldiers. Around 2,000 of them underwent months of training in France in 2024.
There, they enjoyed a relatively high profile; French President Emmanuel Macron personally met several of 155th's battalions during a public visit ...
But a report last week by Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov said the brigade has been buckling from desertion and leadership issues, even before it was deployed to Pokrovsk.
"Before the brigade fired the first shot, 1,700 servicemen left it voluntarily," wrote Butusov.
He did not provide evidence for his claim, but published a tally of the unit's strength over time that said hundreds of men deserted monthly from March to November, forcing the 155th to keep replenishing personnel.
A key factor in the desertion rate, Butusov wrote, was that many in the unit had been forcibly recruited off Ukraine's streets. About 50 men also went AWOL while the unit was training in France, Butusov added.
Uncertainty also hangs over the 155th's leadership. Days into its deployment on the front line, the brigade's commander, Col. Dmytro Ryumshin, abruptly announced that he would step down. Ryumshin, a seasoned officer with experience commanding two other brigades, thanked his troops in a Facebook post, saying that the 155th had undergone a "tough but significant journey."
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Exactly. Just executing standard French military doctrine of racing to the rear.
1,700 of an entire Brigade (5,000+)
Well-trained troops.
Quick - send another $10 billion to Zelensky!
1,700 out of the 2,000 trained in France at considerable expense. That’s quite, um, impressive for this “$900 billion project”:
“Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, and Emmanuel Macron, his French counterpart, announced the $900 billion (£747 billion) project to much fanfare at an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in June last year.”
Source: https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4287688/posts
What if they had a war and nobody showed up.
Well, for sure no Zeepers would show up at the Front, they are only interested in Pushing In The Rear.
Yep. I can’t blame the Ukrainian soldiers. This thing is a nasty meat grinder and it has taken so many of their young men.
It’s way past time to end this. Let these people live. Let them start rebuilding and return to normal living.
Plenty more where those came from. When the 18-25 year old cannon fodder shows up this spring, they’ll have no training whatsoever.
Babylon bee?..............
Can’t say I blame them, contrary to what western MSM states, Vlad’s artillery hammer is like nothing seen since WW2.
Pentagon reports mention the huge Ukie casualty rates, shrapnel, dismemberment , amputation, etc… typical of artillery….and verified by Ukie accounts of never even seeing an Ivan, smoked miles away from the line of contact.
Maybe the ukes are tired of dying for the US and the west.
If Christians would have sat out of all wars since Constantine, and focused on defending their families and preaching the Gospel, the entire earth would be Christian. Pacifist Christians converted much of 3 continents in the first 300 years before Constantine militarized the religion
“1,700 of an entire Brigade (5,000+)”
How do we know they actually existed? Those may be real ghosts of Kiev.
From your lips to the ears of God - and to the hearts of the mighty ones on this Earth🙏🏻
Not this time.
“If Christians would have sat out of all wars since Constantine...the entire earth would be Christian.”
.
.
I just heard something similar from a ‘Jehovah’s Witness’. (Just substitute JWs for Christians—and that ALL war would stop).
“Vlad’s artillery hammer is like nothing seen since WW2.”
You forgot the “legendary” ...
Ukraine lost over 12,000 soldiers the first 5 days if 2025. In 6 months they list over 48,000 in Kursk alone.
Trump will slow walk negotiations given he us stuck on Uke NATO membership which is a nonstarter for Russia.
Russia will make huge gains in the coming weeks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.