Lawyers will send materials regarding the arrest of Ryumshin, former commander of "Anna Kyivska," to the embassies of all G7 countries.

The lawyers from the "Barristers" firm, representing former commander of the 155th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dmytro Ryumshin, shared details about his arrest and the charges against him in an interview with the American publication Business Insider.

As noted by the lawyers, this material will be sent to the embassies of all G7 countries to draw attention to the injustice in the handling of the case.

In particular, attorney Bohdan Zabara stated that the charges are based on whether Colonel Dmytro Ryumshin reported desertions to the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).

However, the law obliges military personnel to report to the SBI solely about corruption offenses, not about cases of desertion, he emphasized.

The main points made by the lawyers during their interview with Business Insider were:

- The charges presented are unfounded and do not comply with legal standards.

- The bail amount of over 90 million UAH ($2 million) is entirely disproportionate and raises doubts about the independence of the judiciary.

- The defense believes that Dmytro Ryumshin's case is politically motivated.

“This case is significant not only for Dmytro Ryumshin but for all servicemen who faithfully fulfill their duties for the benefit of Ukraine. It raises the question of whether military personnel can expect fair treatment and protection of their rights. We urge society and the international community to monitor this case,” the lawyers emphasized.

Business Insider also reports that Ryumshin was in charge of the 155th Brigade when it was preparing to deploy to the front lines but suddenly announced his resignation in early December. Lawyer Bohdan Zabara informed Business Insider that the colonel was ordered from above to leave his position.

He was arrested on January 20, accused of “systematically concealing” desertions among his troops. The SBI stated that Ryumshin received both oral and written notifications about disciplinary violations but failed to inform higher authorities and did not take action based on this information.

“Due to the commander’s actions, law enforcement was unable to initiate a legal procedure for searching and returning servicemen to their military unit and reserve battalions, and in some cases, ensure they serve their sentences for committed crimes,” the investigators' statement said.

Zabara mentioned that the colonel would appeal the bail amount set by the court at 90 million UAH.

Zabara also told BI that the prosecution is basing its charges against the colonel on whether he reported desertions to the SBI, rather than on whether he responded to the fact that his personnel went AWOL.

However, Zabara stated that the law requires Ryumshin to report to the SBI only about corruption cases, not about desertions.

“The bail amount is absolutely unjustified,” Zabara said, calling the trial of Ryumshin a “politically motivated case.”

Ryumshin stated during the hearing that he had informed law enforcement about the desertions.

The 155th Brigade "Anna Kyivska" is currently fighting near Pokrovsk, where Russia is slowly but steadily attempting to capture the key strategic city.

The brigade is equipped with 18 AMX-10 armored vehicles, 18 Caesar howitzers, and 128 armored personnel carriers.

Colonel Ryumshin enjoyed relatively high authority during training in France when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the military during exercises in October.

Europe has not yet concluded these joint training programs. The European Union has allocated $425 million for training new Ukrainian military personnel by the end of 2026, including 15,000 by the end of this winter.

However, some military personnel and analysts in Ukraine believe that it was a mistake for Kyiv to create entirely new brigades like the 155th instead of replenishing older, more experienced units that had already been in combat.

Activist Serhiy Sternenko, who provides drones to military units through crowdfunding, says that his organization is assisting the 155th Brigade due to a lack of officially provided drones and electronic warfare systems.

“Why create a new brigade when existing brigades are critically under-staffed, only to then divide it and transfer personnel to older brigades? What’s the point?” he wrote on his Telegram channel at the beginning of January.

When the 155th Brigade was preparing to enter combat, its personnel were often transferred to other brigades that desperately needed manpower, leaving the brigade trained by the French to haphazardly reassign its troops to positions for which they were not prepared.

Commander of the 108th Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhiy Filimonov, wrote on January 10 that he was aware of 10 such brigades operating under similar conditions.

He added that Western training methods provided by NATO forces “often do not correspond to the realities of modern warfare” in Ukraine.

“The realities of modern warfare show that foreign training, if not adapted to Ukrainian conditions and integrated into the practices of units, is not only ineffective but also dangerous,” he wrote in a comment published by “Ukrainska Pravda.”

Background. Recall that on January 8, General Drapatiy reported on what had been done to address issues in the 155th Brigade "Anna Kyivska". He emphasized that most shortcomings had already been analyzed and solutions were being implemented regarding them.