1,700 soldiers was to leave voluntarily 155th separate mechanized brigade named after Anna Kijowska.
Although – as “Le Monde” reports – an individual it began to “fall apart” even before reaching the frontits fighters still occupy positions in one of the most active areas of the front in… Donbassbetween the cities of Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka.
– We have received a combat order and we will not deviate from it – said a 26-year-old officer codenamed “Kozak”.
Chaos in the Ukrainian unit. One of the soldiers spoke up
The soldier admitted that many of his men had only recently been mobilized. As an example, he gave 45-year-old “Małyna”, who worked on a construction site in the Ivano-Frankivsk region last spring, and he was mobilized after he was stopped on the street on his way to work. Now, after months of training, he has been promoted to crew chief of CAESAR self-propelled guns.
– It's hard, but we're hanging on – said “Kozak”.
According to the military officer, there were no problems in his ranks, despite the fact that the unit was sent to the part of the front where active operations are being carried out, immediately after returning from training in France. At the same time, “Kozak” added that He wouldn't make such a decision on his own.
– We cannot comment on this decision, but personally I would not send our brigade in such difficult terrain. I would send her to an area that would not necessarily be much easier, but at least more stable and under control, he emphasized.
According to “Le Monde”, this practice, systematically used by the Ukrainian army, can be explained lack of reserves and difficulties in mobilizing new soldiers.
War in Ukraine. Chaos in one of the brigades. “A blow to Kiev”
“For many soldiers, the failures of the 155th brigade are proof that the Ukrainian army should not create new units from scratchbut focus on strengthening the existing ones that suffer from a lack of soldiers,” we read in the article.
In the opinion of a French daily the scandal around the branch is a “blow” towards the Ukrainian authorities' plan to create 14 new brigades trained and equipped by Western allies.
155th brigade Anna Kijowska arrived near Pokrovsk at the end of December 2024. Her soldiers they had previously trained in France. Paris equipped the unit with, among others, with 18 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, 128 armored vehicles (VAB), 18 AMX-10 RC fire reconnaissance tanks. Poland in turn, it delivered approximately 30 German Leopard 2A4 battle tanks.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) opened an investigation investigation into irregularities in the brigade im. Anny Kijowskiej.
On Sunday after the meeting with the commanders Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrski notified that intends to strengthen the 155th brigade. As he added in a post on Telegram “it will also highlight problematic issues that need to be resolved“.
Sources: “Le Monde”, Unian, Ukrainian Truth