This was stated by the State Bureau of Investigations.
For instance, 15 men were included in the lists, who were held administratively responsible in 2024, just before their mobilization, for attempting to illegally cross the state border outside of designated checkpoints.
Additionally, 22 servicemen who were mobilized from border regions but registered in other areas were involved in a trip to France.
According to the GBI, a total of 56 servicemen from the brigade left the training grounds in France without authorization.
Law enforcement officials attribute the mass desertions in the brigade to the former commander. The investigation revealed that the command staff of the military unit reported to him both verbally and in writing—through reports and notifications—about the desertions, the failure of servicemen to return from leave, assignments, and sick leave.
However, according to the investigation, the commander, in violation of the law, did not inform the pre-trial investigation authorities, which prevented law enforcement from initiating the search and return procedures for the military personnel to their units and reserve battalions.
The investigation indicates that the systematic concealment of such cases by the brigade commander negatively impacted the management operations of the brigade.
Moreover, the actions of the former brigade commander complicated defense and the execution of specific combat tasks (due to insufficient military personnel).
This also “undermined the prestige and authority of both the military unit and the Defense Forces as a whole”, reduced the combat readiness and capability of the unit, and led to the emergence of new military threats to Ukraine's national security, as noted by the GBI.
The former commander of the 155 brigade has already been detained, and preparations are underway to inform him of the suspicion.
Recently, journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed that 1,700 servicemen from the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv deserted before the unit fired its first shot.
The journalist describes the formation of the brigade as “an organizational chaos in literally all components.” According to him, since March, when the brigade was formed, a certain number of fighters have been deserting every month. In October, when the brigade went for training in France, there were already 935 desertions. In France itself, another 50 members of the brigade fled from service.
The GBI noted that the investigation “is examining the facts reported in the media,” having opened criminal cases under articles concerning desertion and the abuse of power or official authority by military officials.
Subsequently, President Volodymyr Zelensky took the situation regarding desertions and unauthorized departures of servicemen from the 155 brigade under his control. The Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty, described the desertion situation in the 155 brigade as complex; however, he stated that these were not mass cases.