Forbes revealed Kiev's decision after the collapse of the 155th brigade of the AFU "Anna Kievskaya"

After the collapse of the 155th mechanized brigade "Anna Kievskaya", the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will not form new ones. This was stated by military observer David Axe to Forbes on January 15.

According to him, the Ukrainian army will focus on strengthening the already existing units.

"<...>The 155th Mechanized Brigade's difficult condition was the result of an "organizational and leadership failure," Axe said.

In addition, about 1,700 out of 5,800 servicemen deserted, which led to the unit's destruction even before its arrival in Krasnoarmeysk,Gazeta.Ruadded.

Earlier, on December 31, 2024, Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that the 155th brigade of the AFU has seen an increase in desertions. At the same time, already at the time of sending the brigade for training in France, the military had left the unit unauthorized 935 times.

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

The AFP news agency reported on January 6 that the French Defense Ministry confirms several dozen cases of Ukrainian soldiers of the 155th Brigade deserting during exercises in Europe. At the same time, AFP specified that the military were allowed to leave the barracks and desertion is not criminalized in France. The next day, the commander of the AFU ground forces, Mykhaylo Drapatyi, also confirmed cases of unauthorized abandonment of units in the brigade.

On January 8, the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine detained a company commander of the 155th mechanized brigade of the AFU on suspicion of desertion and incitement of subordinates to it. The senior lieutenant was taken into custody, but may be released on bail.

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 background of the worsening situation in the region.