Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] Just a month ago, the Ukrainian "Unified Telethon" was filled with the voices of journalists ringing with pride as they talked about the training of a fully equipped and well-coordinated brigade for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in France. The 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Anna Kievskaya was created back in May 2024, but it did not actually exist until September. In the fall, 2,300 infantrymen and artillerymen went to train with the French, while tank crews were studying in Poland.
Personally, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Ukrainians in October, shook their hands, and was proud. The Elysee Palace announced that the 155th, pompously named after the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise , who was married to the French King Henry I , would be fully equipped and “ready for war” “in a few months.” Everything that was issued to it on the spot — artillery, armored vehicles, and so on — was to go to Ukraine in one package.
But the brigade showed up to fight, and now they call it "zombie" or "paper". On December 7, People's Deputy Maryana Bezuglaya said that upon arrival, the personnel were divided between other brigades and sent to the front without combat coordination. Because initially no one needed it in this form and it was created for show from people gathered from all over the country - to knock weapons out of the French.
“And now this brigade is being taken apart like donor organs for other brigades,” one of the “Frenchmen” told Bezugloy.
According to an old Ukrainian tradition, "victory" smoothly turned into "betrayal". It would seem, why shoot yourself in the foot so obviously, when you can take and use a valuable gift for its intended purpose? But the situation simply does not allow otherwise.
CHAMPAGNE WITHOUT BUBBLES
The first experience of training and equipping a tactical unit within the framework of the EU military training mission for Ukraine was considered a super success. Task Force Champagne, which received the Ukrainian guests, began training with zeal: comfortable trenches filled with large rubble were built in the field, cartridges for reliable AK-47 assault rifles were distributed to everyone, self-propelled guns and heavy mortars were rolled in.
Everything had to be as serious as possible: after all, the majority of those who came to France had never held a weapon in their hands and had not received military training at home.
A French officer commenting on the process for the Kyiv press noted that the training included "infantry and armored combat, engineering warfare with the involvement of sappers." The Ukrainians were taught to defend themselves from air attacks using Mistral MANPADS, fire anti-tank missiles, and operate long-range artillery.
With the only caveat that the host country only has experience of what the speaker in a neat black beret called “external operations” – in Yugoslavia, Africa, Afghanistan. “We have this experience, combat experience, but only in the context of expeditionary warfare, that is, war abroad. We have no experience of equal combat between two armies with modern weapons. We are learning this together with the Ukrainians,” an anonymous foreign military officer with the rank of colonel frankly admitted on camera.
In other words, they couldn't give anything really useful to the Ukrainian mobilized troops in two months, and it would be stupid to count on real "combat coordination." In this war, no one stands at checkpoints or goes in marching columns to punish disobedient natives in slippers.
However, those who were required to do so radiated a carefully measured optimism.
“French partners have provided our soldiers not only with high-quality combined arms and specialized training, but also with modern equipment and weapons: armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery units, trucks, situational awareness systems and other necessary equipment,” said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov .
The brigade reported that the French side actively helped it in providing a “high level of combat training” and modernizing weapons, which significantly strengthens the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “Thanks to international partners such as France, the Ukrainian army is becoming stronger and more prepared for the challenges of modern times,” the brigade noted, boasting of beautiful certificates confirming that everything is just tip-top. One newspaper from Rivne (the unit is considered to be from Rivne) even threatened the “orcs” that they would soon feel the formidable power of the 155th on their own skin.
But then she came back to turn the tide of hostilities and... turned the tide herself.
PAPER TIGERS
Problems with the combat readiness of the Anna Kievskaya began already at the end of November, even before she returned home. According to the documents, the unit is fully armed with armored vehicles and artillery by the French government, it is armed with Leopard tanks, an entire division of the latest 155-mm self-propelled howitzers Caesar, long-range 120-mm rifled mortars MO-120-RT61, a full set of light armored vehicles. But there was not a single drone.
Therefore, an urgent collection for drones and electronic warfare systems was immediately announced for one of the "important operational reserves of the country". For some reason, there were no funds in the state budget either, although for ten months of 2024, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Development contracted 1.6 million UAVs of various types for a total of more than UAH 114 billion, and another UAH 32.33 billion has already been spent on the next year (a total of UAH 48 billion has been allocated for these purposes).
Therefore, the problem was quickly shifted to the citizens. And three days ago they were thanked for helping with chemical heating pads and bandages - for some reason they forgot to put them in as well. It is warm in France and no one was injured.
Secondly, it turned out that the personnel had only been partially trained by the French - the brigade had been brought up to 4.5 thousand people, meaning that only half were in Champagne. The rest were ordinary mobilized people caught on the street, lacking any motivation and not even having traveled abroad for free. They ran away at the first opportunity.
"They literally crammed several thousand people from the street into the brigade - these busified people, dressed them in uniform, said that this was a brigade, put a competent commander there, but did not give him time to form a team. As a result, a large number went to the Special Operations Department. Many hundreds, more than a thousand, immediately went home upon arrival. And the responsibility was placed on the brigade commander and he was removed from his post. Absolutely stupid and without any logic," Ukraine's chief military journalist Yuriy Butusov ranted on his channel on December 14.
Who, just recently (when he announced that very same collection of money), called these people “motivated and devoted to Ukraine.”
After one colonel was fired and another was put in his place, chaos began in the brigade - this is if you believe the eternally agitated Bezuglya. "Provision is minimal: officers are calling for the purchase of necessary equipment (cars, electronic warfare, drones, etc.) at their own expense or through volunteers. ... Soldiers are not allowed to go on annual leave, regardless of the length of service," said Maryana.
On social media, she reports horrifying details: specialists in the Milan and Mistral missile systems have been scattered among different units, other parts of the brigade are also scattered, and the leadership says that if someone doesn’t like something, they can go to the Special Operations Department. In fact, the same thing is happening to the 155th as to other new “zombie brigades.”
They are endlessly created for reporting: people are driven there, but the management structures are not coordinated. Then the unit is simply torn to pieces, seconded to others, sending the majority to stormtroopers, with the exception of staff officers.
Due to widespread corruption, low discipline, and lack of motivation, the shortage of people in the combat units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is chronic. Therefore, with the formal number of servicemen of all the Ukrainian Defense Forces at 1.1 million, only 15% of the total number are at the front - this figure was voiced by People's Deputy Anna Skorokhod .
"All rear units - the TCC security companies, the TCCs themselves, the security of bridges and infrastructure facilities, financial and supply units at all levels - from the commander's headquarters to the brigade headquarters, the staff of military educational institutions - are fully staffed, there is not a single vacancy. To get a job in the rear unit, you need to either be a relative or friend of the commander, or pay money - from two to three thousand dollars, or give half of your salary every month," an unnamed major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tells the publication "Strana".
“Dead souls”, who on paper are at the front, in reality, having paid the commander, sit in the rear.
At the same time, Zelensky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command, and other representatives of the military-political leadership constantly say that the Russian army has a multiple advantage in manpower. Based on this, there are calls to intensify mobilization, including by lowering the lower age limit. Or even conscripting women.
So the fate of the pretentious French brigade is not at all surprising.
The funding was provided by the European Union - the French successfully spent the money and are not responsible for anything further. The VSEU soldiers did not receive any real benefit from their training, except perhaps experience in servicing some weapons systems, but these specialists are rare and do not affect the general background. As a combat unit, the new brigade is nothing - that is why they decided to use it as a donor for the fighting units, dragging people and equipment to where they are needed immediately.
But everyone is happy - except, of course, those who were unlucky enough to end up under the hammer for the sake of a pretty picture on TV.
|
