Fall of Vuhledar: Battalion desertion

The commander of the 186th Battalion of the 123rd Ukrainian Territorial Defence Brigade, Igor Hryba, allegedly committed suicide. The supposed reason was the desertion of his battalion, which refused to follow orders and abandoned their positions near Vuhledar. This reportedly contributed to the loss of the stronghold, which had been defended for over two years.

Ukrainian media are investigating the reasons behind the fall of the Vuhledar stronghold. Vuhledar is a city in the Donetsk region that has been fiercely resisting Russian aggression since the start of the full-scale war.

Ukrainian journalist Volodymyr Boiko, serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that on 2nd October, just before the fall of Vuhledar, the commander of the 186th Battalion of the 123rd Territorial Defence Brigade, committed suicide.

Thirty-three-year-old Igor Hryba shot himself shortly after his battalion - without authorisation - left their positions near Vuhledar, allegedly leading to the eventual loss of the city.

TSN journalist Julia Kiriyenko also confirms these reports. In a Facebook post, she claims that the 72nd Brigade, which had been defending Vuhledar from the beginning, was supposed to be supported by the 123rd Territorial Defence Brigade, but "the infantry scattered somewhere, and then one of the fighters shot himself."

Due to the 123rd Brigade's "desertion," the evacuation of the 72nd Brigade was delayed, which reportedly cost many soldiers their lives. The brigade comprises seven battalions. In several of them, after battles around Vuhledar, there was no more infantry," it reads.

"I think it's possible to imagine the mental and psychological state of the soldiers. Even commanders are submitting requests to be removed from their posts," - adds Kiriyenko.

A day after these dramatic events, on 3rd October, in Voznesensk, in the Mykolaiv region, about 100 soldiers from the 187th Battalion of the 123rd Brigade gathered at a rally to "draw attention to insufficient training and lack of weapons for warfare in the Donetsk direction".

The Ukrainian portal Suspilne, which belongs to the public broadcaster, writes, "Everyone refused to carry out the combat mission and voluntarily left the military unit in Donbas."

The new unit commander also appeared on site and stated that he repeatedly requested weapon deliveries, but in response, he was told that "there are no weapons".

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Puhalski, head of the psychological support department for the Territorial Defence Command's personnel, claims that "the unit is fully equipped with weapons and military equipment." He added that the soldiers' actions are associated with criminal responsibility.

The representative of the Ukrainian Military Law and Order Service, present at the meeting with the soldiers, refused to comment on the situation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine refused to answer the question of whether the escape of the 128th Brigade could have contributed to the fall of Vuhledar, explaining that "revealing this information could inform the enemy".