Servicemen from the repair battalion of Ukraine’s 125th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, deployed in the Sumy sector, are reportedly preparing to abandon their posts en masse. According to Russian security sources, the unrest was sparked by a decision from the brigade’s command to reassign the unit’s personnel to assault detachments.

A representative of the security services told RIA Novosti that a mutiny was brewing inside the brigade, with soldiers from the repair battalion threatening to go absent without leave after being ordered to join frontline storm units.

The morale of Ukrainian troops has continued to deteriorate amid setbacks along the line of contact. Complaints from the ranks about conditions at the front are becoming increasingly frequent. Many fighters, aware that the command is treating them as expendable, now see surrender as a preferable option.