Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has directed the military to initiate an investigation into the 156th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces announced on Jan. 19.
The investigation comes on the heels of a state probe into the French-trained 155th "Anne of Kyiv" Mechanized Brigade.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Oleh Apostol will lead the investigation, the General Staff said in a social media post.
"The purpose of the work is to check the progress of the brigade's formation and provide comprehensive assistance in organizing and preparing for combat operations," the post read.
Recent inspections of the 156th Brigade revealed "a number of significant shortcomings," according to the military. Plans to address these problems include replacing the brigade's leadership, appointing a commander with practical combat and command experience, and transferring combat-tested officers and sergeants into the unit.
Other necessary steps involve improving practical training for personnel and increasing training for drone pilots and electronic warfare operators.
"It should be noted that the mistakes that occurred during the formation and training of the 155th 'Anne of Kyiv' Brigade have been taken into account, and measures are being taken to prevent them in the future," the General Staff said.
The 156th Brigade is one of 14 new brigades formed by Ukraine's Ground Forces in recent months. The newly formed brigades have faced front-line challenges and accusations of mismanagement — particularly the 155th, the French-trained brigade at the center of a mass desertion scandal.
Ground Forces Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi said on Jan. 8 that "inadequate management," "mistakes in recruitment," and "imperfect training planning" contributed to the problems with the 155th Brigade.
The general's remarks followed a media investigation that claimed soldiers of the unit, deployed near the front-line hot spot Pokrovsk, suffered heavy losses and deserted in large numbers due to poor command and organization.
The 155th Brigade was intended to be a flagship project for Ukrainian brigades trained and armed with the assistance of foreign partners. French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June that France would provide training and military supplies as part of this initiative.
Serhii Filimonov
