Drapatyi reported to Zelenskyy on 155th Brigade: Explained situation, named reasons, responsible people
The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatyi, said that he was keeping the case of the 155th Brigade named after Anne of Kyiv under control.
He posted this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
"The other day I reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the situation in the 155 Brigade and the decisions taken by the Land Forces Command to support the unit and resolve the issues raised by both the soldiers and journalists. I explained the situation and named the reasons and those responsible. I also met with the brigade command and French journalists who are currently working in the unit, visiting the positions to see with their own eyes how the soldiers of "Anne of Kyiv" perform combat missions and operate the weapons provided by France.
I believe it was too early to go public before all the circumstances were established, but today I can inform the public about the measures taken by the Land Forces Command to stabilise the situation in the 155th Brigade.
All the events that led to the creation of the 155th Brigade happened before I was appointed to the Land Forces Command. However, I consider it my duty to respond to the problems of the subordinate unit and solve them systematically - at all levels that depend on me," said the commander.
Drapatyi noted that the formation and arming of a new brigade from scratch in cooperation with a foreign country was the first time and in a fairly short time frame - just a few months.
"No one had such experience before, so it was impossible to foresee all the nuances and details of this process. A project of this magnitude was a challenge for the Land Forces Command, and not all services worked perfectly. The French side has fully fulfilled its obligations to Ukraine. We are very grateful that our partners took a risk and implemented this project together. The task of the Armed Forces is to prove that it is effective and correct all mistakes, as well as not to repeat them in the future," he explained.
The Commander stressed that most of the systemic shortcomings committed by the Land Forces Command, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Operational Command at all stages of the 155th Brigade's formation have been analysed, assessed, and solutions to some issues are already being implemented.
"Currently, the focus is on recruiting experienced officers and commanders at all levels. I am dealing with this issue personally. I am ready to consider everyone, please contact me at this email address: [email protected].
Provision of the brigade. I received a request from the commander, and it is already being processed at all levels. The Ministry of Defence is involved in the supply process to the maximum extent possible.
Preparation. The commander of the 155th Brigade is taking concrete steps and has developed an effective system to increase additional training for his soldiers, and the Land Forces Command will assist him where necessary - in finding resources, instructors, etc.
Morale. The brigade's personnel were trained in difficult conditions. This was not enough to make the recruits into comrades. I was in a similar situation as a commander and I know how important it is. Especially when the brigade is already at war. That is why a special group of psychologists works in the units to strengthen the brigade. There are certain results, for example, the return of soldiers who left the unit without permission.
AWOL. The situation is not easy. The main challenge faced by the brigade is the low efficiency and motivation of mid-level commanders who directly manage people. This, as well as the involvement of units in combat, determines the number of AWOLs in the 155th Brigade. I should note that I have not observed massive cases of soldiers leaving their combat positions. Instead, I have observed a certain substitution of concepts, when the number of the AWOLs is equal to the number of desertions.
There is no simple recipe here - we need to work on solving all the problematic issues that cause the AWOL, not only in the Land Forces, but in the Armed Forces as a whole. The number of AWOLs in a brigade will decrease in proportion to decisions that affect the combat capability and motivation of personnel. This is a joint task of the authorities and the Defence Forces, and all those responsible have received instructions," Drapatyi emphasised.
He said that from today a special hotline of the Land Forces Commander for the servicemen of the 155th Brigade will be open.
The phone number is 0800-500-410 (after listening to the call, dial 5). It is open from 09.00 to 18.00 daily.
"And finally. I believe that the 155th Brigade named after Anne of Kyiv is promising and will prove itself. Yes, it will take time and effort for many to correct the mistakes made during the formation. However, the newly created Ukrainian brigade named after Anne of Kyiv can and should become a real ‘’Gallic cock‘’ - a symbol of France: proud, unbreakable and ready to fight for freedom," the commander concluded.
The situation in the 155th Brigade
As a reminder, on January 1, 2025, Censor.NET editor-in-chief Yurii Butusov outlined a number of facts about the circumstances of the formation and functioning of the 155th mechanized brigade "Anne of Kyiv", which entered the battle near Pokrovsk and suffered significant losses there.
According to him, the 155th Brigade faced a number of problems: before the first battle, 1700 soldiers left it without permission, the brigade commander was fired immediately after the battle, and one of the brigade's leaders died of a heart attack.
Butusov conducted a lengthy investigation to find out what exactly led to the significant losses among the brigade's personnel and equipment and the massive unauthorized leaving of a unit.
In October, the 155th Brigade left for training in France. 1924 soldiers were sent there, of whom only 51 had more than a year of military service experience, 459 had up to a year of experience, and the majority, 1414, were just enlisted and served for less than 2 months, about 150 people were sent to France even without undergoing the BMT. About 50 military brigades fled to France.
The editor-in-chief of Censor.NET also reports that the brigade was not provided with the necessary weapons. In particular, the brigade did not receive any drones from the state to perform combat missions. Also, according to Butusov, there were no electronic warfare equipment. The brigade was supplied by volunteers.
In addition, all the 120 mm mortar shells produced by the Ministry of Strategic Industries that were issued to the brigade were defective.
On January 2, it became known that the State Bureau of Investigation had launched an investigation into the massive unauthorized leaving of a unit in the 155th Anne of Kyiv Brigade after relevant media reports appeared. In turn, the French Ministry of Defense did not comment on the information that the 155th Anne of Kyiv Brigade, trained by the French armed forces, was the subject of an investigation in Ukraine.
Also in early January, it became known about the results of a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff regarding the 155th Brigade "Anne of Kyiv".
On January 5, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, promised to increase the capabilities of the 155th Brigade and admitted that there were problems that needed to be solved.
Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, said that the formation of new brigades without providing them with supplies is a gross mistake that is costly for the country.
