Ukraine's 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces said on June 17 that former fighter Ryan O'Leary no longer has access to current information about the unit's operations and cannot speak on its behalf.

The statement follows public criticism from O'Leary, an American volunteer and former commander of the Chosen Company, who alleged widespread leadership failures within Ukraine's Armed Forces.

On June 14, O'Leary said mismanagement within the military, rather than Russia's action, was responsible for "more deaths," accusing commanders of prioritizing personal power over troop welfare.

"The officer corps behaves like a caste system of untouchables or 'army lords,'" he wrote on X.

Chosen Company, originally formed as the 312 Swedish Volunteer Company at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has drawn members from more than 31 countries.

Its first commander, Swedish veteran Edvard Selander Patrignani, was killed in action in July 2022. O'Leary took command afterward, and the unit was integrated into the 59th Brigade in early 2023.

O'Leary accused the former commander of the 59th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk, of sending intelligence officers into reckless assaults, resulting in avoidable casualties. Shevchuk was recently removed from command after being accused of submitting false reports.

"In the first two months of his command, he sent soldiers into unattainable positions with no hope of reinforcement or survival," O'Leary claimed.

In response, the 59th Brigade, deployed in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, said O'Leary voluntarily resigned from service on Feb. 8, 2024, and has not taken part in any operations or internal decisions since.

"He does not have up-to-date information on the state of affairs in the unit and cannot comment on it," the brigade said. "The dissemination of unfounded accusations and misinformation undermines morale and negatively affects the unit's combat readiness."

The 59th Brigade emphasized that its soldiers continue to perform combat missions under challenging conditions and "maintain high efficiency and effectiveness."

O'Leary had announced the disbandment of the Chosen Company on May 26, but said he would wait to discuss details until his contract officially ended.

‘A brutal strike’ — Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Kyiv, killing 10, injuring at least 124

Russian drones and ballistic missiles targeted the capital overnight, killing 15 people and injuring at least 114, local authorities reported. Damage to civilian infrastructure has also been reported throughout the city.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

Ukrainian drones will reach a new level. Newly appointed commander of the unmanned systems forces, Robert “Madiar” Brovdy, launches a major upgrade and deployment, Texty reports. 

Brovdy says 6–7 units of the Unmanned Systems Forces’ Drone Line are expected to enter the top ten most effective UAV units in the current ranking of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the next 100 days, Brovdy also announced the following steps:

• Deployment of a unified electronic system for planning, coordination, command, and online reporting for all USF units, 
• Expansion of USF operations into tactical and operational depth with 12 levels of application — from reconnaissance to countering enemy drones, 
• Increase in domestic production of munitions and creation of a unified supply depot for critical components such as StarLink, batteries, EW systems, and FPV parts, 
• Use of ground robotic complexes for the logistics of munitions, drones, and peripherals, 
• Execution of a unified recruitment campaign and establishment of a proprietary training network for drone pilots and operators of various systems, 
• Separate re-certification of personnel, retraining of inexperienced or unfit crews, and retraining by types of flight activities. Command aims for a clear match between functions, training, and the combat potential of each fighter.

As part of the reform of the Unmanned Systems Forces, a unified approach is planned to analyze capabilities, operational facts, and effectiveness of actions according to drone models and types of ammunition. This will form the basis for precise planning and efficient real-time supply of units.

A separate direction, details of which are not disclosed, concerns the use of UAVs at strategic depth.

In the field of technology development, the current Innovation and Development Center is undergoing transformation. Instead of functioning at the brigade level, it will serve the needs of the entire branch of the armed forces.

Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi has been dismissed from his position as commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), according to a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 3.

Sukharevskyi will be replaced by Major Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the elite drone unit "Birds of Magyar."

The Unmanned Systems Forces were established as a separate branch of Ukraine's military in June 2024. The USF works to improve Ukraine's drone operations, creating drone-specific units, ramping up training, increasing drone production, and pushing innovation. The USF has also carried out hundreds of operations deep within Russian territory.

"I am proud to have had the honor of leading the USF during its first and most difficult year of formation," Sukharevskyi said in a post commenting on his dismissal.

"This year, although incomplete, has been spent productively. We have formed and immediately put into practice the principles on which this unique force operates. ... At the same time, at this stage, our vision for the further development of the USF differs from that of the leadership. I believe that the honest and professional decision in this situation is to end my term as commander of the USF. I am leaving my position with deep faith in everyone who continues to carry this idea forward."

As Ukraine’s fate hangs in the balance, ‘Soviet’ command culture damages war effort

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include the official response to the Kyiv Independent from Ukraine’s General Staff, which came a few days after initial publication. Last February, a Ukrainian company commander going by his callsign Veter was ordered to send his people to reinforce another unit’s

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

Sukharevskyi, previously deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was named the first commander of the newly-created USF on June 10, 2024. According to military personnel who spoke anonymously to the Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, Sukharevskyi's relationship with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was tense from the beginning of the USF's formation.

Sukharevskyi's appointment was a decision from the president, not Syrskyi, sources said. People close to both Syrskyi and Sukharevskyi also claimed the two men avoided face-to-face interactions.  

According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Sukharevskyi has now been appointed deputy commander of Ukraine's Eastern Operational Command, where he is expected to implement reforms and lead modernization efforts.

Regarding the decision to appoint Brovdi as the new USF commander, Umerov said that Brovdi's "experience with one of the best units should be expanded to the entire command."

Along with Sukharevskyi's dismissal and replacement, Ukraine's leadership announced  a number of military personnel decisions on June 3, including the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi as Commander of the Joint Forces.

Drapatyi previously resigned from his position as Ground Forces Commander on June 1 following a deadly Russian missile strike that killed at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers at a training camp in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast that day.