Ukraine probes reports hundreds went AWOL from France-trained army unit

Ukraine has opened a criminal probe into desertion and “abuse of power” after hundreds of soldiers were reported to have fled an army unit partly trained by France, investigators said Thursday.

The 155th Mechanised Brigade, dubbed “Anne of Kyiv”, was one of several military groupings formed last year as Ukraine sought to boost preparations for possible new Russian offensives.

The unit was to be made up of 4,500 soldiers, with France training roughly half of them and providing equipment. But its development has been beset with problems including what one lawmaker described as poor management.

Prominent journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote in December that 1,700 soldiers had fled the brigade without going into combat, and that 50 had escaped while training in France.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation said it had opened a criminal probe into abuse of power by a military official and desertion, without elaborating.

“The investigation is ongoing. It is too early to talk about any preliminary results,” spokesperson Tetiana Sapian told AFP.