Ukrainian unit trained in France falls apart immediately after being deployed to Pokrovsk.

 

Leopard II Tank. The Telegraph/Getty.

An Ukrainian unit trained in France has fallen apart after being deployed to Pokrovsk in the war against Russia. The Telegraph. The 155th mechanized brigade had 1700 troops go AWOL before even firing a shot. 50 deserted while the unit was being trained in France. 500 of the troops that went AWOL never returned to the unit before it was deployed to the logistics hub of Pokrovsk, which is a major target for Russia. The 155th, known as the Anne of Kiev unit, was largely destroyed during the battle of Pokrovsk, with its remnants folded into other units in the region. The unit lost many tanks and armored vehicles in the fighting. Much of the issue was the fact that the unit was made up of raw recruits with very few members having any military training. The unit also failed to have any drones assigned to it, which is a critical failure in modern warfare. 

My Comment:

The 155th is a good example of how bad things are getting for Ukraine. The unit was barely able to be staffed as many recruits were picked off by other units and when they did find people? A large portion of them deserted before then even got deployed and even more did afterwards. 

Part of the problem is the way Ukraine is training their units. Instead of reconstructing their veteran units so they have a good mix of new recruits and veterans, they are sending new recruits in this major units to get destroyed. Though these men were trained in France, they still did not last long and what they really needed was the presence of combat veterans to give them some backbone. 

I am not surprised that so many of them deserted. Many Ukrainian men have been gang pressed into the fighting and even the volunteers have to see the writing on the wall. Ukraine probably can't hold out through the end of 2025 and nobody wants to be the last one to die in a pointless war. And the folks that deserted in France itself are probably the smartest ones. Not only do they avoid combat they also get to start a new life in France, which is probably unlikely to deport them. 

The fact that this unit was kitted out with new foreign weapons, like the Leopard II tank and the French Caesar Howitzers, but had a complete lack of drones is just insane to me. Drone warfare is not optional in modern conflict and without any recon drones the 155th would be fighting blind. It's little wonder that they got mauled so bad. And it also goes to show how bad things are going in terms of supplies. This was a major unit and Ukraine couldn't find any drones for them? 

I do think that the Russian way of doing things is a lot smarter. They rotate units instead of leaving them on the front forever only to be replaced by new recruits. This allows units to rest and recuperate and rebuild in safety. But Ukraine's effort is so much worse and is a big reason they are having so many problems with their troops. 

As for the war itself, it has faded into the background, but it seems clear that no matter what Donald Trump decides to do. Ukraine has simply ran out of men while Russia is able to replace their losses. Given the huge number of desertions in this unit and others and the major manpower and weapons shortages I don't see how Ukraine survives the year.