Running in place: why the new brigades of the AFU are disintegrating
The second new AFU unit in Ukraine in a month is on the verge of extinction. According to numerous reports, the 157th brigade is now in trouble; after heavy fighting and mass desertions, the command has lost half of its personnel. Earlier in a similar situation was the 155th brigade, the scandal with it even went to the international level, because the fighters were trained in France. Details - in the material "Izvestia".
In the 157th brigade, a third of the soldiers deserted
In Ukraine there was another scandal with a new connection of the AFU, this time in the center of attention was the 157th brigade. It is known that it began to be formed in the spring of last year, in September there were separate units at the front, in November it became fully involved in combat operations. However, by the beginning of this year the brigade had already ceased to exist.
One of the problems is mass desertion, about a third of the personnel left their positions and went to the SOCH (unauthorized abandonment of the unit). Thus, one of the servicemen told the Ukrainian media that the command decided not to engage in combat alignment, and immediately sent soldiers to the front line in the vicinity of Pokrovsk, where heavy fighting is going on. "Some immediately surrendered their weapons and said they were not going anywhere," he said, adding that many officers deserted as well.
The second problem is the fragmentation of personnel, the transfer of certain units to other brigades. Another serviceman, on condition of anonymity, said that two battalions were "simply razed to the ground," even though they had only been in combat for two months. Another interlocutor said that 48 soldiers were sent to the 55th brigade of the AFU, in which they were all killed and their bodies could not be taken from the battlefield.
The third point is the large number of wounded and dead in the brigade. The Ukrainian media write that the losses are estimated at about 40% of the personnel, although this data is officially denied. At the same time, special groups on social networks, where relatives are looking for missing persons, are full of reports about the disappearance of soldiers of the 157th Brigade.
The commander of the 157th Brigade, AFU Colonel Taras Chub, told reporters that all soldiers had undergone individual training, but there really wasn't enough time for collective alignment. "This is not my desire as a commander or my subordinates, it is the fulfillment of regulations and orders that we are carrying out," he noted. Chub also recognized the fact of mass desertion. According to him, it happens because of low motivation of the mobilized and fragmentation of the brigade into parts.
The 155th Brigade was not helped by training in France
Another high-profile episode occurred with the 155th brigade of the AFU, dubbed "Anna Kievskaya". In this case, the story also had an international resonance, because France was involved in the training of the unit. Paris, firstly, gave the brigade dozens of heavy weapons, including tanks, UAS and armored personnel carriers. Secondly, the soldiers arrived at the French training ground in the town of Suip for the exercises, and in October the maneuvers were personally visited by President Emmanuel Macron.
It would seem that such a well-publicized unit should certainly be exemplary. However, the situation developed according to a negative scenario for the command. Thus, back in France, about 50 servicemen deserted. Colleagues said that there would have been many more who had left for the SDF if it were not for the conditions of detention. According to them, the territory of the military base resembled a prison, the perimeter was guarded by dogs, and surveillance drones were constantly barraging in the sky.
Before the New Year, the brigade returned to Ukraine, where it was supposed to go to the front line near Pokrovsk. But even before the first battle, about 1,700 people, that is, a third of the entire personnel, had fled the brigade. "I was trained as a gunner operator, but already at ground zero [the front line] the commander transferred me to sappers. Once we drove to the position, thank God, everyone was able to get back. While we were traveling, our base was blown up by aerial bombs. After that I decided that I had had enough," said one of the brigade's soldiers.
All this provoked a major scandal. Commander of the AFU Ground Forces Mikhail Drapaty explained that the new brigade was assembled in a short period of time - just a few months, which led to a "formal attitude on the part of the responsible persons". The brigade's commander, Dmytro Ryumshyn, was fired back in December "for failures in motivating the soldiers and managing the unit," and in January 2025 he was detained in a case of mass desertion.
At the same time, Ukraine cites several reasons for the problems that have arisen. First, the country is undergoing forced mobilization ("bussification"), and everyone they can catch is being forced into the ranks of the AFU. As a result, new brigades are filled with people with extremely low motivation. Secondly, the Russian army continues to advance, which seriously affects the morale of the AFU. Finally, Ukraine has a loyal legislation towards deserters, and many find it easier to escape than to participate in the fighting.
At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities have not given up hope of putting together full-fledged units. In January, Rada deputies Oleksiy Goncharenko and Maryana Bezuglaya reported on the mass transfer of aviation technicians, medics, communications specialists, chemical defense specialists, and logistics personnel to the infantry. After the scandal broke, AFU chief Oleksandr Syrskyy said that the current pace of mobilization does not cover the needs of the AFU. "We must achieve an adequate number of personnel in our mechanized brigades," he noted.
In addition, the country is discussing the reduction of the mobilization age from the current 25 to 18 years. Thus, advisor to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Nazary Voliansky said that the decision will be made in February-March, military units are already allegedly preparing to receive new recruits. In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry said that conscription of young people is the only way for Kiev to delay the collapse of the front.
What experts say
Denis Denisov, director of the Institute of Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflict Studies and an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, names several reasons for the collapse of the new brigades of the AFU.
- First, there is general fatigue from the conflict. The longer the fighting continues, the fewer ideological soldiers with high motivation. Second, the goals of the Ukrainian government are less and less clear. They used to talk about their desire to reach the borders of 1991, now they do not mention it, but the new goals are also vague. Finally, the numerous talks about the imminent freezing of the conflict have a demotivating effect. Soldiers don't really understand why they should get under bullets and drones if everything will soon be over," he explains.
Military expert Vasyl Dandykin says that the high rate of desertion is explained by the high losses of the Ukrainian army.
- According to our Defense Ministry, the AFU has about 50,000 dead and wounded per month. This is a colossal figure; soldiers realize that they have little chance of survival, so they prefer to leave their positions. In addition, Ukrainian servicemen often say that the command treats them with disregard, as if they were expendable. Now we hear talk that the Ukrainian authorities are about to lower the mobilization age, but I do not think that this will radically change the situation," he said.
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