Media reported the collapse of the Anna Kievskaya brigade of the AFU trained in France

The 155th mechanized brigade "Anna Kievskaya" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), trained by France, has collapsed after deployment. This was reported by the British magazine The Economist on 16 January.

According to the publication, the brigade was formed last March and had been training in France since October. Before being sent to Europe, more than 2.5 thousand experienced soldiers were redistributed to other units. As a result, the remaining about 2,000 men were sent to France, among whom only 51 had served for more than a year.

In addition, during the training, 50 men deserted from the brigade. For the entire period of "Anna Kievskaya" 1.7 thousand servicemen left the unit unauthorized.

"France delivered Caesar howitzers, armored vehicles and anti-tank missiles it promised, but Ukraine failed to provide crucial capabilities for drones and electronic warfare", - stated in the publication.

An investigation was launched into the situation in the 155th Brigade, which is under the control of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024).

Earlier, on January 15, military observer David Axe reported that the AFU will not form new brigades after the collapse of the 155th mechanized brigade. According to him, the Ukrainian army will focus on strengthening the already existing units.

On January 8, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation 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 AFP news agency reported on January 6 that the French Defense Ministry confirmed several dozen cases of desertion of Ukrainian soldiers of the 155th brigade 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, Mikhail Drapatyi, confirmed the cases of unauthorized abandonment of units in the brigade.

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

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