Ukrainian media revealed in October that the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine had recorded approximately 60,000 criminal cases of unauthorized unit abandonment and around 30,000 cases of desertion since early 2022.

Additionally, Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that over 1,700 soldiers from Ukraine’s newly established 155th Mechanized Brigade, which was extensively trained and equipped in France, deserted before reaching the battlefield. 

This came after French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside Volodymyr Zelensky, unveiled the "elite" brigade project last June. The brigade was intended to comprise over 5,800 troops and feature Leopard tanks and French CAESAR 155 mm howitzers.

However, Butusov noted on social media that at least 50 soldiers, part of the unit also known as "Anne of Kiev," went absent without leave during training in France.

The Anne of Kiev Brigade

The b``rigade was supposed to include 1,500 soldiers who have already been trained in Ukraine and will consist of two command posts, three infantry battalions, and comprehensive logistical support. According to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, a train carrying the first batch of 100 armored vehicles for the brigade is set to depart from France for Ukraine.

The brigade will also receive Caesar howitzers, short-range air defense systems, anti-tank missile launchers, and other equipment, all of which the Ukrainian soldiers are trained to use and maintain.

Additionally, French Mirage 2000 fighter jets, modified to carry SCALP cruise missiles, are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the new year.

At the front lines unequipped 

When the brigade eventually was deployed on the front line near Pokrovsk, its forces were not even equipped with drones, therefore suffering significant losses, particularly among the Leopard 2A4 tanks and VAB armored vehicles. 

Butusov stressed that "The brigade’s servicemen became hostages of Zelensky’s PR project, which the authorities made no effort to actually implement competently."

From January to October 2024, Ukrainian prosecutors initiated 60,000 cases against soldiers for abandoning their positions—nearly double the total recorded in 2022 and 2023 combined.

Reports suggest that the remaining members of the 155th Mechanized Brigade have been reassigned to other units. Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) confirmed to AFP that it has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the formation of the brigade. 

The investigation is being conducted under charges of “abuse of authority and desertion,” according to SBI Communications Adviser Tatiana Sapyan.

Read more: 100,000+ Ukrainian servicemen have fled from armed forces: Lawmaker