155th Mechanized Brigade: Road to Redemption

Formed in March 2024 as an infantry brigade, the unit faced significant challenges early on. By September, it was restructured into a mechanized brigade – marking a shift in its operational capabilities. The unit was known to have been sent to France in October and had begun training on advanced Western equipment, including Leopard tanks and Caesar howitzers, as it prepared for its first deployment.

However, in December 2024 and January 2025, a series of troubling reports brought the brigade under scrutiny. There were reports of widespread desertions, with many soldiers abandoning their posts, and the brigade’s performance during its initial deployment fell short of expectations. This series of failures prompted an official inquiry and led to a slow, comprehensive reform effort to address these issues and reshape not only this brigade but many other newly created brigades for the foreseeable future.

In recent months, the brigade has turned to social media to help improve its public image, as the story of its shortcomings has gone viral in the global media, helping to accelerate the rapid reform after scrutiny. To pay respect to the brigade’s French origins, being nicknamed “Anne of Kyiv” and also trained in France, they began posting in French on their X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Formed in Ukraine – partly trained in France, now fighting on the frontline. We post in French out of respect for Franco-Ukrainian friendship.” (Source)

In what appears to be an attempt to help reshape its image into a fully capable and hopefully competent brigade, the brigade has received a new insignia which reflects the Franco-Ukrainian partnership.

The colour scheme of the insignia differs markedly from the previous one, with the traditional Ground Forces chevron having a new green border and a regular blue canvas in the shield’s center. The central theme of the insignia includes three fleur-de-lis symbols to underline the brigade’s Franco connections and what appears to be a stylized Tryzub at the top of the insignia. It also contains two swords, symbolizing combat readiness and strength.

The insignia bears a notable resemblance to the Coat of Arms of the Mareil-Marly Commune in north-central France, further highlighting the deep bond between France and Ukraine

The brigade’s efforts to rehabilitate its image will be closely watched in the coming months. Whether it has truly learnt from past failings, scrutiny, and reform will only become clear as it carries out future combat operations on the frontline.