"Negative lesson": General Drapati acknowledged desertion and mismanagement in the 155th brigade that trained in France.

The Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Mykhailo Drapatiy, acknowledged significant issues within the 155th Mechanized Brigade "Anna Kyivska," which was trained by France, during a press conference on January 6. These issues included a high level of desertion and poor organization.

"Of course, this is a negative lesson, a negative experience, but it needs to be converted into some preventive action," Drapatiy stated.

The general's remarks followed a high-profile investigation by journalist Yuriy Butusov, which revealed that the military brigade currently stationed near Pokrovsk had suffered losses and experienced desertion due to poor command and organization.

The 155th Brigade, formed with the support of Ukraine's Western partners, was intended to be a flagship project for training new military units equipped with heavy weaponry. French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June that France would provide training and equipment for this brigade.

It was expected that the brigade would consist of approximately 5,800 servicemen, of whom 2,300 had been trained in France.

Despite Paris fulfilling all its commitments regarding training and equipment, Butusov's investigation pointed out problems in the formation and management of the brigade, which led to 1,700 instances of desertion even before the military units fired their first shot.

According to Butusov, the lack of critical equipment, such as drones and electronic warfare systems, worsened the brigade's combat readiness during its deployment to the front in November.

"There are problems, and there have been issues with staffing, training, and partially with the command structure," Drapatiy said. "All of this is being thoroughly analyzed, and certain conclusions have been drawn."

The general added that the lessons learned from these difficulties are being used to improve the brigade and avoid similar issues in the future.

Drapatiy acknowledged these challenges, noting that fear and a lack of combat experience were often the reasons for desertion.

"There are many instances of unauthorized desertion, but there are also reasons for this," he said. "There is fear among the personnel [...], and sometimes a lack of practical combat experience."

Of the 1,924 servicemen sent to France, only 51 had over a year of military service experience, while 1,414 had served for less than two months, according to Butusov's investigation.

The commander emphasized that military leadership is actively addressing the brigade's issues. "I confirm that there have been problematic moments with the command staff and the training process, and they are all being resolved now," he said.

Despite the difficulties, Drapatiy remained optimistic about the brigade's future. "The brigade is developing, fighting, and inflicting losses on the enemy," he stated.

Background. Previously, the AFP agency reported that the French General Staff acknowledged that "several dozen" individuals had deserted from the "Anna Kyivska" brigade in France. Desertion is not a criminal offense in the country, so they could not arrest the deserters.