The commander of one of the companies of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade has been detained for not only abandoning his place of duty without authorization but also inciting his subordinates to do the same. The State Bureau of Investigations reports that he has been notified of the suspicion, emphasizing that the operation was conducted in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine.
"It has been established that at the end of last year, the lieutenant failed to carry out the order to transfer his company to the operational command of another unit. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to flee unarmed and left his place of duty without authorization," the statement reads. The commander’s name has not been disclosed.
The State Bureau of Investigations noted that the company commander was detained today in the Rivne region. He was brought to Kyiv, where he was informed of the suspicion of abandoning his post and failing to comply with an order (Part 4 of Article 402, Part 5 of Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The statement indicated that the sanctions under these articles provide for a penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment. The court has chosen a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of detention with the possibility of posting bail.
Scandal with the 155 Brigade: Current News
As previously reported by UNIAN, at the beginning of January, Forbes published a report stating that the newly formed 155th Mechanized Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv, which had undergone training in France and was supposed to strengthen the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Pokrovsk direction, began to "fall apart" before reaching the front. There were many cases of desertion.
The commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy, commented on the scandal involving the 155 brigade. He stated that the identified deficiencies in the formation of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade (155 OMBR) named after Anna of Kyiv are typical for any newly created unit that is immediately deployed in combat operations. He noted that most systemic deficiencies have now been analyzed, assessed, and solutions are already being implemented for certain issues.
Drapatiy emphasized that the formation and equipping of a new brigade "from scratch" in collaboration with a foreign state occurred for the first time and within a very tight timeframe—only a few months. No one had such experience, so it was impossible to foresee all the nuances and details of this process.
The commander explained that the 155th Brigade has been at the front for less than a month, which is the period when all deficiencies in staffing and training of personnel become evident. At the same time, the general stressed that the brigade continues to perform combat tasks.
According to him, the new commander of the brigade is receiving support from the leadership of the Ground Forces. The focus is on staffing the brigade with experienced officers and commanders at all levels.