A French army official confirmed to AFP on Jan. 6 that several dozen Ukrainian soldiers serving in the 155th "Anne of Kyiv" Mechanized Brigade deserted while undergoing military training in France.
"There have been a certain number of desertions, but they remain very marginal given the volume of people who have undergone training," the unnamed official told AFP. "They were in French barracks, they had the right to go out," the added.
The brigade is a flagship project under which Kyiv's partners will help train new Ukrainian military formations and provide heavy equipment. The unit has about 5,800 troops, fewer than 2,000 of whom have undergone training in France.
The brigade has become plagued with controversy after media reports emerged of desertion and widespread mismanagement in recent days.
A media investigation conducted by Ukrainian publication Censor.net claimed that soldiers of the unit, now deployed near Pokrovsk, have suffered losses and went AWOL (absent without leave) in large numbers due to poor command and organization on Ukraine's side.
Yurii Butusov, the publication's chief editor, claimed about 50 deserted in France, in addition to hundreds who left their posts even before the unit was deployed at the front.
Between March and November, over 1,700 soldiers had gone AWOL, Butusov claimed without providing evidence. Though the unit was replenished with new recruits, these often did not undergo "proper selection process," the journalist added.
Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, acknowledged significant challenges within the French-trained brigade, including high desertion rates and poor organization in a press conference on Jan. 6.
"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."
Following the emergence of media reports, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation on Jan. 2 launched a probe into suspected desertion and abuse of authority.
On Jan. 5, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi ordered to boost the brigade with drones amid the reports.
The report comes amid growing calls for reform within Ukraine’s military leadership as Kyiv grapples with intensifying pressure in its war with Russia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
