Military police dispatched to investigate 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade

Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has ordered a Military Law Enforcement Service (VSP) commission to investigate allegations of misconduct in the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade of the Armed Forces' Support Command. The General Staff of Ukraine announced this move following media reports.

On December 16, an article published by Ukrainska Pravda detailed alleged abuses within the brigade. According to the report, the godson of the brigade commander physically abused battalion soldiers and demanded money. Troops were threatened with being sent into combat as "cannon fodder," and one soldier alleged he was tied to a wooden cross and beaten. Furthermore, the article claims that the brigade's commander, Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, sent four soldiers to build his private home in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

The VSP commission will investigate these claims, and the brigade commander has been temporarily suspended pending the inquiry's outcome.

The General Staff has promised to share the findings of the investigation. It noted that a prior internal probe into some of the reported incidents was conducted in September 2024. Materials from that inquiry were handed over to law enforcement, leading to a criminal case.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reacted to the Ukrainska Pravda report by sending urgent letters to the General Staff and the VSP, demanding an immediate investigation.

"This disgraceful behavior has no place in our military. I will personally oversee the investigation and provide updates on its results," Lubinets stated.