American volunteer fighter Ryan O’Leary, commander of the Chosen Company of the 59th Separate Assault UAV Brigade announced he was disbanding the unit due to poor command of the Ukrainian army.

He wrote about this on his page in Х, hromadske informs.

He announced the termination of his unit’s operations on May 26, but said he would not disclose details until his contract was completed.

According to him, the Ukrainian army has lost more people due to poor command than due to russia’s actions, and the Ukrainian officer corps “behaves like a caste system of untouchables or ‘army princes.’” He also noted that nepotism still exists in the army.

In particular, he criticized the former commander of the 59th Separate Assault Brigade, Bohdan Shevchuk, who  was recently dismissed for false reports.

“In the first two months of his command, he sent intelligence officers into assault operations, which led to deaths and serious injuries among those who had no combat experience. This undermined not only the morale, but also the unit’s effectiveness. He sent soldiers to unreachable positions with no hope of reinforcement or even survival. It took over 16 months to remove him from command,”  O’Leary said.

The military also noted that the army needs changes, but added that “at the current pace, these officers will continue to fill cemeteries with brave, courageous Ukrainians for no justified reason.”

“We can no longer be led to the slaughter by promises of the bare minimum while our lives are entrusted to those who don’t care,”  O’Leary added. The Chosen Company commander emphasized that the most valuable thing the Ukrainian army has is our people, and the “butchers” must be immediately removed.

Updated. After O’Leary’s words, the 59th Separate Assault UAV Brigade said that he had resigned from the brigade on February 8, 2024, so he had no information about the current situation in the unit.

More about the Chosen Company

The Chosen Company is a volunteer unit composed of fighters from over 31 countries worldwide, the majority of whom are U.S. citizens.

The company was formed at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 under the name 312th Swedish Volunteer Company. It was led by Swedish veteran Edward Selander Patrignani until his death on July 18, 2022.

In early 2023, the company was renamed Chosen Company and became part of the 59th brigade.

EMPR

Tags: Russia russia ukraine war Ukraine