Kyiv probes alleged desertions in French-trained Ukrainian brigade
‘A few dozen’ Ukrainian soldiers have deserted during their training in France, according to French military officials. Paris says the number of desertions is “very marginal” compared to the total number of soldiers trained.
A “certain number” of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted the unit being trained in France, French media outlets reported, referring to army officials.
The desertions remain “very marginal” compared to the number of those trained in the Western European country, they added.
The unit in question is the 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanised Brigade, named after a Kyiv-born princess who married French King Henri I in the 11th century.
The French army trained some 2,300 soldiers from this brigade on its territory, accompanied by 300 Ukrainian supervisors.
According to the French army official, the Ukrainian soldiers who were trained in France were subject to a disciplinary regime “imposed by the Ukrainian command”.
“We don’t criminalise desertion in France,” the official said. “They were in French barracks, they had the right to go out.”
According to a media investigation by Ukrainian media outlet Censor.net, the number of soldiers who escaped is likely around 50.
Kyiv investigating the French-trained brigade
The wider media investigation into the 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanised Brigade pointed to problems in the creation and management of the unit, allegedly leading to a total of 1,700 cases of soldiers going absent without leave, or AWOL.
Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, acknowledged a “significant challenge” during a press conference on Monday.
“Of course, this is a negative lesson, a negative experience, but it should be converted into some kind of preventative action,” Drapatyi said, adding that desertion was often driven by fear and a lack of combat experience.
“There are many manifestations of unauthorised abandonment of military units, but there are also reasons for this,” he said. “There is the fear of the personnel and sometimes the lack of practical experience in combat operations.”
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into suspected desertion and abuse of authority in the French-trained 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanised Brigade early this year.
In a separate statement, Ukraine‘s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced last Thursday that Kyiv will carry out a comprehensive review of the Ground Forces command.
“Victory requires a deep analysis of experience, and an honest understanding of mistakes,” Umerov said.
The review aims to evaluate management structures, processes, and compliance with legislation to support reforms and enhance battlefield effectiveness.
ADVERTISEMENTEarlier, the Ground Forces Commander General Mykhailo Drapatyi also said that “fundamental reforms” would be introduced to strengthen the branch.
Amnesty for first-time deserters
On 29 November, a new law took effect in Ukraine, allowing service members who left their units without authorisation to resume military service without facing criminal charges.
The law applies only to first-time unauthorised absences and offers amnesty to soldiers who return before 1 January 2025.
The Ukrainian Military Law Enforcement Service said on 3 December, few days into the new AWOL amnesty law, that around 1,000 soldiers were returning every day.
ADVERTISEMENTThe new law obliged unit commanders to extend the contract or reinstate returning service members within 72 hours. Those who returned had their monetary allowances, provisions, equipment benefits, and social guarantees fully restored. They could return to any unit except the one they left.
Official statistics showed a threefold increase in cases of unauthorized absences during the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Overall, the number of soldiers who left their units without authorisation was estimated to be tens of thousands.
Ukraine’s mobilisation challenge
The new law and the media investigation into the 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanised Brigade came amid growing concerns over mobilisation and Ukraine’s military leadership reforms as Kyiv grapples with intensifying pressure from Russia in the east of the country.
It was revealed in October that US lawmakers were allegedly pressuring Kyiv to further lower the draft age from 25 to 18.
ADVERTISEMENTUntil April 2024, Ukrainian men were only eligible for conscription at 27. Ukraine’s draft age was lowered to 25 when Kyiv updated several laws on mobilisation to ramp up the number of available troops.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to budge on changing the conscription age and has instead continued to press for the delivery of more US military aid.
He said that Western allies provided enough aid to fully equip only 2.5 out of the 10 Ukrainian brigades for which Ukraine had requested support.
The Associated Press reported at the end of November that the Biden administration was still pushing for Ukraine’s draft age to be lowered.
ADVERTISEMENTAP quoted an unnamed senior Biden administration official saying “The pure math of Ukraine’s situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight”.
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