The team of the analytical project DeepState, which recently cooperated with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, reacted to the criticism and accusations of the command of the 115th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The team published its statement in the DeepState Telegram channel.
It says that the project did not in any statements blame the fighters of the 115th brigade for the failure of the defense of the already lost settlement of Ocheretyne (Donetsk region), but emphasized the need to investigate and analyze the actions of the brigadeʼs command.
"In its statement on Facebook, the brigade covers up the dead. A very convenient position, but there is one point: for the decisions that led to significant losses of personnel with subsequent chaotic departure due to the lack of adjustment of means of destruction, the command itself, and not ordinary fighters, is responsible," DeepState emphasized.
The project team emphasized that there are numerous testimonies and comments of soldiers who served with the 115th brigade, family members of soldiers of the 115th Mechanized Brigade who went missing during the loss of Ocheretyne, as well as posts about the dead in social networks.
"These are at least the first reasons why it is necessary to pay attention to these events. No family name can be higher than the lives of our fighters! No mistakes can be higher than the lives of our soldiers. Society declares it, the military-political leadership of the country declares it, and our team declares it. But the command of the 115th brigade decided otherwise. Itʼs a shame," DeepState added.
The project team plans to prepare and publish a detailed report on the events in the Ocheretyne district that took place at positions on April 8 and 12.
For reference, DeepState briefly described how the 115th Mechanized Brigade entered the position — between March 27 and 29, it replaced the 23rd mechanized brigade, which improved its positions throughout February and March. It replaced the 115th brigade of the 100th Mechanized Brigade, which was supposed to enter the position in Ocheretyne, but did not enter, because they were captured by the Russians or destroyed.
What happened?
On May 2, 2024, Nazar Voloshin, the spokesman of the "Khortytsia" operational-strategic group, reported in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine that Russian troops managed to break through and gain a foothold in Ocheretyne in the Donetsk region. However, the part of the village where the Russians are standing is under fire control of the Ukrainian troops — the fighting continues.
On April 24, the DeepState project wrote that the leadership of the 115th Mechanized Brigade was responsible for the collapse of the defense in the entire area, as it allowed significant losses among fighters. In an interview with Radio NV, the founder of the project Roman Pohoriliy said that in the area of responsibility of the brigade, fighters systematically abandoned their positions, there were "strange actions", "incomprehensible maneuvers on the part of the enemy", and as a result, the front failed.
On May 2, the command of the 115th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told its version of the events in Ocheretyne. The words of the founder of the DeepState resource were called false, and the commission is allegedly already establishing all the circumstances. The burnt-out command was accused of defaming the honor and dignity of the 115th Mechanized Brigade, as well as devaluing the lives of fallen soldiers.