Scandal buckles brigade

SHOCKS ARMY: DESERTIONS DISGRACE UKRAINE UNIT MEANT AS FLAGSHIP

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Reports of corruption, abuse of power by senior army officials are routine.

With its soldiers trained in France and high-profile endorsements from the French and Ukrainian presidents, the "Anne of Kyiv" brigade was supposed to be a flagship unit for Ukraine's army.

But just months after being created, it finds itself fighting two enemies - Russians across the battlefield and an internal scandal that has shocked the Ukrainian military establishment.

Kyiv has been rocked by reports that hundreds of troops deserted the unit - most before being sent into conflict and a handful while undergoing training in France.

The controversy is seen as a snapshot of familiar issues that have plagued Ukraine's army since Russia invaded three years ago.