Agents Arrest Ex-Commander of Scandal-Ridden Ukrainian Brigade Raised by France

The former commander of a controversial combat brigade raised in and equipped by France, was arrested by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) on Monday on possible charges of incompetence and negligence that led hundreds of his soldiers to desert, a statement from that agency said.

DBR agents along with operators from Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested the officer, identified in mainstream news reports as Colonel Dmytro Ryumshyn, after he arrived to begin work in an administrative job in the west of the country, Ukrainian news reports said.

Ryumshyn is a veteran combat commander best known for taking over a troubled brigade in Fall 2023 and turning it into an effective fighting outfit, and then for assignment as senior officer in the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Anna of Kyiv.”

His high-profile job was to lead the experimental first-ever deployment of Ukrainian soldiers and officers to a foreign country to be formed up, kitted out, and trained for combat as a single unified combat brigade.

The two-month-long formation and preparation for battle of the 155th Brigade’s some 3,000 men took place in training areas in eastern France and ran from late September to late November 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron touted the brigade’s ramp-up as a major step forward in European support to the Ukrainian military. The British magazine The Economist, citing French army sources, estimated the cost to France of raising the brigade at $955 million.

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According to the DBR statement, the commander of the 155th concealed from his chain of command massive desertion from brigade by soldiers, both in and outside France, and took no action to prevent the desertions as they were taking place. He subsequently did not respond to army investigators looking into reports of personnel losses gutting the unit and, based on unit records, ignored multiple subordinates telling him men quitting the brigade or failing to report, the DBR statement said.

Ryumshyn, per army statements, laid down command of the 155th on Dec. 12, without giving a reason publicly. Ukrainian military media had, by that time, been reporting for more than a month that the brigade was critically short of attack drones, that training had not lasted long enough for individual soldiers to learn effective battle drills, and that the brigade as a formation was dangerously far from combat readiness. Ryumshyn in a departure message to troops said it had been an honor to lead them and that he wished them well in battle.

On Dec. 31 the Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov broke the news that morale in the brigade was poor and that dozens of soldiers had quit ranks in France, possibly with the complicity of local commanders, and that hundreds more soldiers in Ukraine and assigned to the 155th were refusing transfers to the unit. The 155th by the time of its return to Ukraine in early December 2024 was short more than 1,000 men thanks to desertion of all causes, he reported.

DBR spokeswoman Olha Chikanova in a statement described the chaotic leadership of 155th Brigade while it was France. During that time, the commander and responsible subordinates allegedly concealed desertions, took no action to return deserting soldiers to the ranks and enforced no sanctions on soldiers guilty of “voluntary abandonment” of the unit.

At least 56 soldiers from the 155th present in France for training were allowed to quit the unit to join other formations inside Ukraine, despite army orders assigning them to the brigade, and in direct violation of French migration law, she said.

“(These actions) made it difficult for the Armed Force of Ukraine (AFU) to perform its defense functions and perform certain combat missions due to insufficient personnel. This also undermined the prestige and authority of both the military unit and the Defense Forces as a whole, reduced the combat readiness and combat capability of the unit,” she said.

Ryumshyn, according to Ukrainian media reports, was in pre-investigation detention pending arraignment on charges of “intentional failure by a military official to perform actions that he was required to perform under his official duties, which was committed under martial law and caused significant damage.” If convicted, he would face a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

The DBR statement said the former 155th Brigade commander was suspected of crimes but had not been charged. Kyiv Post’s request for comment to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry regarding allegations of desertion and unprofessional command within 155th Brigade had not been responded to by the time this article was published. Kyiv Post was unable to reach Ryumshyn for comment.

On Sunday Ukraine’s Army General Staff (AGS) announced the formation of an independent investigative group headed by Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Colonel Oleg Apostol to inspect the progress of Ukraine’s latest newly raised brigade, the 156th, in officer staffing, basic training, recruitment and kit out.

“The General Staff openly recognizes that the purpose of these measures is to prevent the repetition of mistakes made during the formation of the 155th brigade of the Armed Forces and in other units. In particular, the commission has already made several decisions regarding the 156th brigade: replacing part of the command staff, officers and sergeants with those who have already received real combat experience, improving the quality of personnel, with a special emphasis on the quality of training of UAV operators and electronic warfare equipment,” the army command statement said in part.

Elements of 155th Brigade were deployed on Tuesday to the eastern Pokrovsk sector, a scene of heavy fighting and the main focus of a long-running Russian offensive aiming to capture Ukraine’s Donetsk region. According to Ukrainian army statements, those sub-units are holding their ground successfully. Independent Ukrainian milbloggers likewise have reported the brigade has stopped Russian attacks. On Sunday, Ukraine’s Joint Forces East command in a ceremony awarded five enlisted men and one officer the Silver Cross bravery medal for conducting a successful counterattack that “in a critical situation… restored the lost position, causing significant losses to the enemy.”