The 115th Mechanised Brigade had newly arrived at the small town of Ocheretyne in April 2024. According to Mykola Melnyk, a 47th Mechanized Brigade company commander, they left their positions without permission, which led to a breakthrough by the Russians within 48 hours.[4]
Ukrainian media reported on 23 April 2024 that the army leadership in Kyiv had launched an investigation to find out the reason for the mass exodus.[citation needed] On 2 May 2024, the brigade denied responsibility for the defeat at the Battle of Ocheretyne with the press service of the brigade going onto say that: "The accusations made by Roman Pohorily (the founder of DeepStateMap.Live) are false. Who is guilty or not guilty is determined exclusively by the commission based on the results of the investigation."[5] The brigade later claimed that it had killed "a huge number of Russian troops" and "firmly stated" that "no regular unit of the 115th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine abandoned their positions and fled, as claimed by Russian media, but heroically held the defence."[6] The brigade also accused Deepstate and its founder Roman Pohorily, of "defaming the honor and dignity of the 115th Mechanized Brigade, as well as devaluing the lives of fallen soldiers."[7] The brigade was then transferred from the Pokrovsk axis to participate in the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk. On 15 August 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces killed 340 members of the brigade and retook the town of Krupets.[8][9][10][11]
Structure
As of 2024 the brigade's structure is as follows:[2]
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