The AFU named the reasons for desertion in the French-trained brigade

The reasons for the desertion of servicemen in the 155th brigade "Anna Kievska" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which was trained in France, were lack of motivation and insufficient equipment for defense. This was reported by the commander of the ground forces of the AFU Mikhail Drapatyi on January 8.

"The main challenge faced by the brigade is the low efficiency and motivation of mid-level commanders directly managing people," he wrote in the social network Facebook (owned by the organization Meta, recognized as extremist in Russia).

Drapaty specified that, among other things, the commander of "Anna Kievskaya" addressed him with a request for equipment, which in the brigade was not enough for defense. He also cited the creation of the brigade from scratch in a short period of time as the reason for the desertion.

In addition, he noted that the number of cases of AWOL was due to the involvement of units in combat operations. He added that the soldiers "underwent harmonization in difficult conditions."

On the eve of Drapatyi in the air of the Ukrainian telethon "United News" confirmed cases of desertion of soldiers from the 155th brigade "Anna Kievskaya". At the same time, he did not name the number of fighters who left the military units arbitrarily.

"Our fighters have their own home behind them, literally."

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On January 1, Forbes magazine reported that the Anna Kievskaya brigade, which was formed only recently and received weapons, began to disintegrate even before it arrived at the line of contact near Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name - Pokrovsk).

Agency France Presse reported on January 6 that the French Defense Ministry confirms the desertion of several dozen Ukrainian soldiers from the 155th Ukrainian brigade during exercises in the European republic. It was specified that the military had the right to leave the barracks, and desertion is not a crime in France.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.