Captured Ukrainian officer Sergey Nosikovsky has described what he called a deadly deployment cycle within the 80th Air Assault Brigade of Ukraine’s armed forces, claiming that newly mobilized troops are being sent to the front after just five days of preparation.

He explained that the brigade gathers infantry from mechanized units, runs them through a brief five-day training course, and then sends them into combat. According to Nosikovsky, the expectation is that these troops hold their positions for the same five-day period while the next group undergoes training. He added that, based on conversations with other prisoners of war, similar practices were in place in other Ukrainian units, including the 153rd Brigade.

Nosikovsky also recounted that before combat assignments, soldiers in his unit were instructed to exchange NATO-issued weapons for Kalashnikov rifles. He noted that some troops had trained to operate FN MAG and Czech-made machine guns, only to be told before deployment to leave them behind. «They were told those weapons wouldn’t be needed on the line," he said, «and to take Kalashnikovs instead.»

His unit, he added, also had access to Western-supplied vehicles, including the U.S.-made International MaxxPro armored personnel carrier and France’s Roshel Senator armored car.

Complaints from Ukrainian troops about conditions at the front have been increasing. Many soldiers and junior officers accuse senior commanders of disregarding casualties, while reports of misconduct by military officials have fueled desertions, with some troops attempting to flee across the border in search of a new life.