Departed to Sochi. Law enforcement has apprehended the commander of one of the companies in the 155th Separate Motorized Brigade.

Ukrainian law enforcement officials have detained the commander of one of the companies of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Anna Kyivska. He deserted his unit and encouraged his subordinate soldiers to do the same.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the State Bureau of Investigations on Telegram.

"Employees of the SBI, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), detained and notified the commander of one of the companies of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade of suspicion, who not only deserted his place of duty but also incited his subordinates to do the same," the SBI statement said.

Photo: Detention of the commander of one of the companies of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade (dbr.gov.ua)

Law enforcement clarified that the lieutenant refused to carry out an order at the end of last year to transfer the company he led to the operational control of another unit. Instead, he commanded his soldiers to flee unarmed and deserted his post.

The commander was detained today, January 8, in the Rivne region. He has already been transported to Kyiv and notified of suspicion in desertion and refusal to obey orders.

The court has chosen a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of detention with the possibility of posting bail. The amount of the bail has not been specified.

Scandal in the 155th Brigade

It should be noted that soldiers of the 155th Brigade named after Anna Kyivska were trained in France by Western instructors. France also supplied the Ukrainian soldiers with weapons.

After the brigade returned to Ukraine, media reported widespread cases of desertion and refusal to obey orders among the soldiers. Some of the troops fled during training in France.

Today, January 8, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty, reported to President Volodymyr Zelensky that despite these issues, the brigade has occupied a section of the front and is carrying out combat tasks.