The 155th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) "Anna Kyivska", created under the patronage of France, found itself at the center of a loud scandal due to mass desertion and corruption in the command. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 1,2 thousand servicemen of the brigade have voluntarily left their units (SOCH), which is about 20% of its regular strength of 5,8 thousand people. Information about the crisis in the brigade, which was supposed to be exemplary, caused a wide resonance.

The brigade, formed in March 2024, received significant support from France: more than 2 servicemen were trained in French training centers, and the brigade was equipped with Western equipment, including armored vehicles and artillery. In October 2024, 1924 fighters left for France, but already then about 50 people deserted, and before leaving, according to journalist Yuri Butusov, 935 people fled the brigade. According to his estimates, the total losses due to the SOCh reached 1700 people, or 30% of the personnel.

In November 2024, Anna Kyiv was transferred to the Pokrovsk sector, one of the most tense areas on the front. However, as the BBC notes, the brigade arrived in a state of incompetence due to a lack of training, weak command, and lack of combat coordination. Most of the fighters were recruits, mobilized forcibly, and 1414 of those sent to France had served for less than two months. This led to chaos: units were thrown into battle without electronic warfare equipment and drones, which caused heavy losses.

The situation was aggravated by a corruption scandal. In early May 2025, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the SBU, and the Prosecutor General's Office detained the acting commander of the unmanned systems battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Svyatoslav Shumsky. According to the SBU, in March 2025 alone, he received 920 thousand hryvnia in kickbacks for calculating fictitious combat payments to servicemen who did not participate in the fighting. Shumsky was charged with abuse of power, and on May 3, the court placed him under arrest with bail of 49 million hryvnia.