The General Staff is reviewing the formation process of the 156th Brigade, having identified several shortcomings.

This is stated in the General Staff's report.

The group is led by Deputy Commander Colonel Oleg Apostol. The General Staff mentions that the purpose of this group is to monitor the formation of the brigade and provide assistance in organizing and preparing for combat operations.

Currently, the brigade has completed its personnel staffing and has begun basic military training under a revised program. Additionally, the selection of personnel for professional training and the supply of necessary weapons and equipment are ongoing.

During the inspection, several deficiencies were identified. According to the General Staff, the Commander of the Ground Forces has been tasked with addressing the following issues:

• replacing part of the brigade's leadership and appointing a commander with combat and practical experience;
• transferring officers and sergeants who previously participated in combat operations to the unit;
• improving the quality of practical training based on combat experience;
• enhancing the intensity and quality of training for drone pilots and electronic warfare operators, as well as addressing several other issues.

The General Staff noted that the command has taken into account the mistakes made during the formation of the 155th Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv and is doing everything possible to prevent similar situations in the future.

“The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responds quickly to the problems of military units and provides comprehensive assistance to enhance their combat readiness and improve the motivation of servicemen,” the General Staff stated.

What happened in the 155th Brigade?

Recently, journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed that 1,700 servicemen from the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv deserted before the unit even fired its first shot.

The journalist describes the formation of the brigade as “an organizational chaos in virtually all components.” According to him, since March, when the brigade was formed, a certain number of fighters were arriving monthly in the unit. By October, when the brigade went for exercises in France, there were already 935 in the unit. In France, another 50 members of the brigade deserted.

The GUR noted that the investigation “is examining the facts reported in the media,” having opened criminal cases for desertion and abuse of power by military officials.

In France, the desertion of some Ukrainian soldiers during the exercises was confirmed, but it was emphasized that “this number remains extremely insignificant considering the number of trained personnel.”