Ukraine’s investigative agency arrests company commander from brigade under desertion investigation

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation has arrested a senior lieutenant serving as a company commander in the 155th Mechanized Brigade, the bureau announced.

According to investigators, the officer disobeyed an order to transfer his company to the operational command of another unit. Instead, he allegedly instructed his soldiers to flee without their weapons and abandoned his post.

The arrest took place on January 8 in the Rivne region. The officer was transported to Kyiv, where he was charged with unauthorized abandonment of duty and refusal to carry out orders. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

The arrest comes against the backdrop of reported desertions within the 155th Brigade. In December 2024, Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that 1,700 soldiers from the brigade had deserted without seeing combat, while another 50 fled during training in France. On January 6, a French military official confirmed to AFP that several dozen Ukrainian soldiers had deserted while in the country.