Individuals detained while attempting to illegally leave Ukraine were sent to France as part of the controversial 155th brigade

In France, members of Ukraine’s controversial 155th Brigade, which has seen dozens of soldiers desert abroad, included men who were previously detained in Ukraine for attempting to illegally cross the border.

This was reported by Tetiana Sapian, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

“If I’m not mistaken, around 12 draft evaders ended up on the list for training in France,” Sapian stated.

She reminded that those detained for attempting to leave Ukraine illegally usually only face a fine. The SBI suspects that the 155th Brigade may have operated a scheme involving the enlistment of draft evaders in exchange for bribes.

According to media reports, approximately 50 individuals deserted during the training in France, with even more abandoning the brigade after arriving at the front line.

The former commander of the 155th Brigade, known as “Anne of Kyiv,” Dmytro Ryumshyn, has been taken into custody with the option of bail set at 90 million UAH. According to investigators, Ryumshyn allowed widespread unauthorized absences among his subordinates, including several cases occurring within the European Union.

Journalist Yuriy Butusov was the first to report the desertion of 50 Ukrainian soldiers from the “Anne of Kyiv” Brigade during their time in France. He also claimed that after the brigade returned to Ukraine, 1,700 soldiers went AWOL.