Comments by "Happy Melon" (@happymelon7129) on "Can the Ukrainian army afford and sustain this new offensive? | DW News" video.

  1. Flagship Ukrainian brigade trained in France goes AWOL About 1,700 soldiers from a Ukrainian unit equipped by the West and trained in France went AWOL before firing a shot.
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  2. Over 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers reportedly deserted before reaching the frontlines after receiving training in France. The troops were part of a new brigade, the 155th Mechanized Brigade, which was being prepared with advanced weapons and equipment, including Leopard tanks and Caesar howitzers. These desertions are part of a broader issue, with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General's office recording over 60,000 cases of abandonment and desertion since the war's escalation in early 2022.
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  3. 2025-1-5 A Ukrainian assault force consisting of 2 tanks, 1 minesweeper and 12 armored vehicles launched a counterattack towards Berdin village, but was repelled by the Russian army.
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  4. Around 1,700 Ukrainian troops equipped by the West have disappeared after being trained in France, leaving the remainder of their brigade to face Putin's wrath alone. The 155th Mechanised Brigade, one of Ukraine's few units equipped with advanced Leopard 2 battle tanks, was supposed to bolster the country's defences. Instead, at least 50 soldiers disappeared while the unit trained in France, and by the time it entered its first battle, 1,700 troops had gone absent without leave. Even as late as November, 500 soldiers remained unaccounted for, sparking a crisis for the brigade, also known as Anne of Kyiv in honour of its historical ties with France. This mass exodus occurred before the unit was deployed to Pokrovsk, a critical logistics hub in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. When the depleted brigade finally entered combat in recent days, it suffered heavy losses, including some of its prized Leopard tanks and other armoured vehicles. The debacle has prompted an investigation by Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations into what critics are calling the 'shambolic' formation of the unit. The brigade was intended to feature over 5,800 troops and state-of-the-art Western weaponry, including French Caesar 155mm howitzers.
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