“The French military, which trained the Ukrainian brigade “Anna of Kyiv” in France before sending it to the front, announced about “several” cases of desertion during training.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
“There have been a few cases of desertion, but they remain very minor considering the number of people who have been trained,” said a spokesman for the French army’s general staff.
According to him, trained soldiers were subject to the regime established by the Ukrainian command, while desertion is not a criminal offense in France.
“If someone deserted, the French prosecutor had no authority to arrest that person. And the right granted to the Ukrainian authorities on French soil is only disciplinary,” he explained.
According to the French Armed Forces, a total of approximately 2,000 soldiers were trained in France, namely three infantry battalions and their support (engineers, artillery, ground and air defense and intelligence). 90% of them were conscripts who had no combat experience, they were accompanied by 300 Ukrainian soldiers.
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As reported by Ukrinform, the SBI is investigating the facts presented in the mass media regarding violations in the 155th mechanized brigade “Anna Kyivska”. Criminal proceedings initiated under Art. 426-1 (Exceeding authority or official authority by a military person) and Art. 408 (Desertion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The proceedings are under the control of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.