Situation in the 155th Brigade “Anna Kyivska”: official comments and insights from the military
8 January 15:50
EXCLUSIVE
Mykhailo Drapaty, the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, confirmed that some of the information about the problems in the 155th separate mechanized brigade “Anna Kyivska” is true. The scandal arose due to numerous organizational problems. During the nine-month training in Ukraine, Poland and France, about 1700 soldiers left the unit without permission, significantly reducing its strength from the nominal 5800. Upon completion of the training, the brigade was sent to the Pokrovsk area to reinforce the troops. However, due to a lack of support, including drones and electronic warfare equipment, the unit was unable to fulfill its tasks. In addition, at the time of deployment, the brigade’s leadership was removed from office, which made it difficult to manage the unit. However, Mr. Drapaty did not specify which of this information was true. New details of the scandal were found out by Komersant ukrainskyi.
The Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces ofUkraine considers the unauthorized abandonment of the military unit to be the main challenge faced by the 155th Brigade. The reason is the low efficiency and motivation of mid-level commanders who directly manage people.
“There are a number of facts. I have a negative attitude to all these manifestations and believe that the situation could have been corrected locally by all levels of command,”
– said Mykhailo Drapaty.
Despite all the difficulties, the brigade has occupied the line, is performing combat missions, holding its positions, and at the same time working to eliminate mistakes and improve combat capability, said the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Refusal at the start: some servicemen avoided service in the 155th Brigade”
Ukrainian Defense Forces officer Yevhen “Tykhyi” shared his opinion on the situation in the brigade in an exclusive commentary for .
“The situation has developed because the army continues to have old systemic problems that we inherited from the Soviet era. Often commanders do not report the real state of affairs and create the illusion that everything is fine. This leads to the fact that problems are not solved, but are hushed up until they become critical,”
– noted Yevhen “Tykhyi”.
According to the officer, the brigade was formed in a hurry, which affected the quality of training. When units are formed in a hurry, the emphasis is often not on quality but on quantity – just to fill the staff, says Tykhyi. As a result, people who do not have the necessary motivation or basic knowledge join the ranks.
“Soldiers are often not given a proper knowledge base. Soldiers need to understand how to act as a separate combat unit and as part of a team. Without this, cohesion is lost, which is critical in both offensive and defensive operations.”
Yevhen “Tykhyi”
Moreover, the officer personally knows people who refused to serve in the newly created brigades at the start, seeing a similar development. the 155th is no exception. “Tykhyi” also commented on the problem of commanders being removed from their posts.
“We still have an approach whereby a person can be put in a disadvantageous situation in order to be dismissed later. For example, a battalion commander is given the task to storm a position without a sufficient number of trained soldiers. As a result, everyone suffers losses, and the commander is removed.”
Yevhen “Tykhyi”
The officer also emphasized that the problem of unauthorized desertion is not only in the 155th Brigade, but also in many other units. He said that the number of soldiers who leave units without permission may be similar in all brigades. This is not a one-time phenomenon, but a consequence of a long-lasting systemic crisis.
According to Yevhen Tykhyi, the situation in the 155th Brigade is only a symptom of deeper problems in the organization and management system that need to be urgently addressed to avoid similar crises in the future.
General Staff and SBI: Reaction to the allegations
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the brigade continues to perform combat missions and has its own defense line. To enhance its capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) units were added.
“Work on eliminating the identified shortcomings was underway even before the media reports appeared,”
– the General Staff said in a statement.
The situation around the 155th Brigade was also commented on by Solomiya Bobrovska, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense. She recognized it as “unpleasant and shameful,” but emphasized that such problems are not unique to the new reserve units.
Meanwhile, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has launched an investigation into the facts published in the media, including abuse of authority and unauthorized abandonment of military units.
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Butusov on the problems in the brigade
The editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, Yuriy Butusov, said earlier that the brigade was sent to the Pokrovsk sector without proper provision of drones and electronic warfare (EW) equipment, and the unit’s leadership was dismissed.
According to the journalist, about 1,700 soldiers left the brigade without permission during its nine-month training in Ukraine, Poland and France. He also noted that the cost of forming the brigade is estimated at 900 million euros, but a number of organizational problems remain unresolved.
France’s reaction
Representatives of the French army confirmed some cases of desertion among Ukrainian soldiers during their training in France. According to them, disciplinary control remained on the side of the Ukrainian command, and the cases of desertion were insignificant.
The president took control of the situation
on January 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters that he would personally oversee the situation around the 155th Brigade.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense plans to hear from the parties involved and provide recommendations on how to resolve the problems. According to experts, this situation has highlighted systemic challenges in the formation of reserve units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that need to be addressed comprehensively.
To support the soldiers, the brigade has set up a special hotline at 0800-500-410 (after listening to the call, press 5). The line is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00.
Major General Drapatyi also announced an active search for new commanders for the unit, who will be able to ensure its effective work in the conditions of hostilities.
