A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched
The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command
The formation of Ukraine’s 155th army brigade was announced at the D-Day anniversary ceremony in Normandy last June, complete with photo-ops with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Paid for, trained and equipped by France, it was a showcase of NATO support, the first of what Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, hoped would be 14 new brigades sponsored by Western allies. Its deployment six months later was a disaster.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Brigade betrayed”
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