The French Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the investigation of the facts reported in the media regarding the 155th mechanized brigade Anna Kyivska, trained by the French in 2024, Radio Liberty reported, citing the ministry's response to a request from the publication.

"The ministry did not comment on reports that a brigade trained by the French armed forces had become the subject of an investigation in Ukraine. (...) The defense ministry did not respond to the question of whether the situation was being monitored and whether they had asked for additional information from the Ukrainian side, other than what was published in the press. Details on the technical equipment of the brigade, in particular drones, were also not disclosed. The question remained unanswered as to whether the French side had analyzed the feasibility of creating and managing a new brigade," the report says.

At the same time, the French side stressed that organizational issues regarding the brigade are being resolved by the Ukrainian side.

"It was the Armed Forces of Ukraine that organized the selection of the Ukrainian military to form this brigade and manage the processes. Also, and this is natural, the Ukrainian armed forces determine the conditions for the deployment of the brigade on the territory of Ukraine," the French Defense Ministry said.

The brigade was trained and equipped by France in the second half of 2024. About 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen were trained on French equipment intended for transfer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and after completing the exercises, they returned with it to Ukraine.

"This is a complete training model, which was implemented only by France, and which was highly appreciated by the Ukrainian partner," the French ministry commented.

Earlier, editor-in-chief of the Censor publication, Yuriy Butusov, wrote on his Telegram channel that in December 2024, the SBI opened a criminal case on the circumstances of the formation of the 155th mechanized brigade Anna Kyivska, which joined the battle near Pokrovsk.

“The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) is investigating the facts reported in the media regarding the 155th mechanized brigade Anna Kyivska. The case is being investigated under articles on abuse of authority and desertion,” Communications Adviser to the SBI Tetiana Sapyan told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The SBI is indeed studying the facts presented in the media in the framework of criminal proceedings initiated under Articles 426-1 (abuse of power or official authority by a military person) and Article 408 (desertion). The investigation of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is ongoing. It's still too early to talk about any preliminary results," Sapyan said.