"The prison door may open, but the coffin lid will not": an officer from SOCh discusses the challenges faced by the 155th Brigade.

A serviceman from the 155th Mechanized Brigade, which found itself at the center of a scandal due to issues with training, anonymously shared the challenges he faced in the army. This information comes from a report by "Radio Liberty," published on January 4.

The man is currently in training, and therefore spoke with journalists on the condition of anonymity. He explained that he was not a career officer but had studied 20 years ago and graduated from a military department, which awarded him the rank of junior officer.

The Ukrainian joined the brigade's engineering support unit and was appointed as a platoon commander. Most of his subordinates were mobilized. While they received training, the officer himself had not undergone any preparation due to his rank. Moreover, according to him, he lacked the necessary knowledge and skills.

"I approached the commanders and asked, are you going to teach us anything? I understand that you have recruited people and put them in uniform, but I cannot take such responsibility, leading a platoon and putting someone in danger. I know nothing. They told me that I would be sent for training in France," the serviceman recalled.

He spent a month abroad and claims that he was "not taught anything at all" there.

"They took those who were already assigned to specific positions according to the 'staffing.' What was shown on television, that somewhere on the range they were running and shooting, that did happen, but I feel that this training was somewhat insufficient considering how much money was spent on it," the officer noted.

He compared the conditions in France to a prison: a fenced territory, guards with dogs, drone launches at night, and a barbed-wire fence. However, some soldiers managed to escape.

"To be honest, if we weren't watched like in a prison, half of the people would have run away," the man assured.

He reported that over 50 soldiers escaped abroad, and even more individuals left their unit voluntarily after returning home.

The officer explained that the training he envisioned by the third year of the war did not exist. He admitted that he did not understand his responsibilities and was not prepared to "put others at risk" and fulfill tasks with untrained subordinates. He was supposed to lead about 30 soldiers but considered himself untrained as well.

A source involved in the formation of the brigade confirmed to the media that the brigade commander did not even have time to meet the soldiers before they were redeployed to the Pokrovsk direction. According to him, "the situation with the formation was even worse" than what is known from open sources.

The serviceman, who left for training, shared that despite complaints about the organization, part of the brigade was redeployed to Pokrovsk even before his return. He stated that after the order to transfer to infantry, "a lot of people left," and three days later, the soldiers were sent to the Dnipropetrovsk region. A day later, they were ordered to move to a settlement located 20 kilometers from the front line.

The commander told the officer to gather six people, and when asked about the mission, he replied succinctly, "I don’t know." The anonymous interlocutor criticized the leader for unprofessionalism, resulting in more soldiers fleeing from the brigade.

"I’d rather go to the microwave; if caught, the prison door will open sooner or later, but the lid of a coffin won’t open. (...) It turns out that everyone is silent, some command comes from above, and it has to be carried out. Somehow, even if through the back door, it must be done. This is wrong. People are untrained," the officer stated.

In the State Bureau of Investigations, journalists were informed that an investigation is underway regarding abuse of power and desertion. The brigade's press service confirmed this but refused to comment on the situation.

Recall that on January 1, journalist Yuriy Butusov reported on an investigation concerning the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Anna Kyivska," for which 900 million euros were spent in France. According to him, before the first battle, 1,700 soldiers from the brigade left for training, the brigade commander was dismissed immediately after the battle, and one of the formation's leaders died of a heart attack.

Forbes reported that the brigade was supposed to consist of 5,800 servicemen, and about 1,700 soldiers fled even during the overseas training stage. Journalists noted that the new formations lack equipment, and entire battalions are insufficiently trained.