Ukraine probes desertions in army units
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of Ukrainian service members, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine on July 8, 2022. File photo REUTERS
Ukraine has opened a criminal probe into desertion and "abuse of power" after hundreds of soldiers were reported to have fled an army unit partly trained by France, investigators said Thursday.
The 155th Mechanised Brigade, dubbed "Anne of Kyiv", was one of several military groupings formed last year as Ukraine sought to boost preparations for possible new Russian offensives.
The unit was to be made up of 4,500 soldiers, with France training roughly half of them and providing equipment. But its development has been beset with problems including what one lawmaker described as poor management.