Zelensky has taken personal charge of the situation concerning the 155th Brigade, according to Butusov on the outcomes of the meeting.

Vladimir Zelensky took personal control of the investigation into the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Anna Kyivska" during a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.

This was reported by journalist and editor of "Censor.Net" Yuriy Butusov, citing sources.

According to Butusov, the president was particularly interested in the circumstances surrounding the desertion of dozens of brigade soldiers in France and the voluntary abandonment of the unit by 1700 fighters during the brigade's formation in Ukraine. The head of state instructed the main inspection of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the Ground Forces Command, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Security Service of Ukraine to provide official reports on the mentioned events.

At the same time, the issue of the feasibility of creating a brigade from scratch without experienced command personnel, without technical specialists, without the minimum necessary time for preparation, without drones, and without electronic warfare systems, while experienced and combat-ready brigades are not being replenished, was not addressed.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, O. Syrsky, accused the soldiers in France of desertion, blaming the command of the 155th Brigade for supposedly not spending enough time communicating with the soldiers. The fact that the brigade's command operated in France according to a training plan approved by the Ground Forces Command and under the supervision of a representative of the Operational Command "West" is not commented on,” noted the journalist. “The fact that only newly recruited personnel from the TCC were sent to France, lacking experienced sergeants and platoon commanders, is also overlooked.”

Butusov added that the entire command of the 155th Brigade, by Syrsky's decision, has been suspended or is in the process of being suspended from their positions – the brigade commander, the chief of staff, all deputy brigade commanders, some other staff officers, and some company commanders. “Now, at the brigade command post, there are constant commissions, and staff officers are providing explanations to all inspectors and controllers who need to submit their reports. All this is happening during intense combat operations,” the journalist noted.

In addition, the brigade has lost its main strike force – the division of modern 155-mm "Caesar" artillery, as well as some VAB armored vehicles and Leopard tanks. These were transferred to other brigades. Mechanized and infantry battalions are lacking drones, but the brigade's drone battalion has begun to receive UAVs. Operators of the Milan anti-tank missile system are being used as infantry.

Currently, the 155th Brigade is located near Pokrovsk.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal case regarding the circumstances of the formation of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Anna Kyivska. Even at the formation stage, many fighters left for the reserve. The brigade was sent for training in France, and immediately after returning, without commanders (who were still in training), it was thrown into action near Pokrovsk. The fighters did not have drones, and the 17 million UAH allocated for their purchase was received by the brigade 10 days after entering combat. All of this led to significant losses. 

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