Dozens of recruits have reportedly deserted the elite ‘Anne of Kiev’ brigade
Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted from an elite brigade while training in France, AFP reported on Monday, citing a French army official.
The 155th Mechanized Brigade was meant to be a flagship Ukrainian unit, trained and equipped by France. Named ‘Anne of Kiev’ after the daughter of a medieval prince, Yaroslav the Wise, who married French King Henry I, the unit was personally inspected by French President Emmanuel Macron in northeast France in October.
Around 2,300 of the soldiers have been trained in France, and 2,200 more in Ukraine.
Without disclosing the number of deserters, the official who spoke to AFP claimed they “remain very marginal given the volume of people who have undergone training.”
“They were in French barracks, they had the right to go out,” the official said, adding that the soldiers were subjected to a disciplinary regime “imposed by the Ukrainian command.” The official stressed that France had no authority to arrest the deserters.
“Yes, there are problems, we are aware of them,” Mikahil Drapaty, the recently appointed commander of Ukraine’s Land Forces, told AFP news agency.
According to AFP, most of the soldiers arriving in France were conscripts with no combat experience and were accompanied by 300 Ukrainian supervisors.
Popular Ukrainian journalist Yury Butusov reported earlier this month that “dozens” of soldiers had deserted the brigade in France, and 1,700 more went AWOL while serving in Ukraine.
According to Butusov, the brigade’s senior commanders have “either been fired or are in the process of being fired.”
Commenting on Butusov’s report, Drapaty told AFP that “a number of the facts that were presented did take place,” but “perhaps not on the scale and scope that was presented.”
The brigade admitted having problems with personnel, and released an appeal on social media for its lost recruits to report back to base. “We understand that the reasons which have forced you to go AWOL may have been different,” the unit said in a statement on Facebook on Monday. “Return to the team. We are waiting for you.”
Tatyana Sapyan, spokeswoman for Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation, told Interfax-Ukraine that the authorities are investigating the brigade for desertion and abuse of power.
Last week, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that the MOD will conduct a “comprehensive analysis” of the Land Forces Command and implement “reforms in management and personnel policies.”
The Ukrainian Army has been struggling with personnel shortages and low morale on the front line, with soldiers, journalists and military bloggers increasingly criticizing the government.
