The subpar training of Ukrainian soldiers in France was just a PR stunt, a Ukrainian POW has revealed.
The much-hyped 155th Mechanized Brigade was stocked with around 2,400 unmotivated and only partially fit troops, said Vadim Veikai, a platoon commander taken prisoner by Russian forces recently.
Following its inception, the unit suffered a record number of AWOL cases, skyrocketing to as many as 1,700 soldiers, he said.
Besides the dozens of deserters, “We didn’t learn anything new there,” he remarked. The Paris-trained specialists were “just names on paper,” according to the POW.
Once the French-trained Ukrainian soldiers were deployed to their positions in Donetsk, they were supplied with nothing but small arms, Veikai said, adding: “The fact that they’re overhyped doesn’t mean they perform well in combat.”