France Trains and Equips New Ukrainian Brigade Named After Anne of Kyiv

9 October, 2024 Training of the Ukrainian military in France. Photo: Etat-major des armees The French military is training 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers from the newly established Brigade named after Anne of Kyiv.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the equipment used for the training will later be transferred to Ukraine. The Ukrainian 'Anne of Kyiv' Brigade is currently undergoing training in the Grand Est region of eastern France. "I have made this commitment: our military is currently training 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers in Grand Est, with equipment that they will use during their missions," Macron said, posting footage from the training.

The French president assured that this brigade will be trained and equipped thanks to the solidarity of France. France became the first country to train a full-fledged Ukrainian brigade on its territory.

The training covers a wide range of components, including, in particular: infantry combat, armored combat using the AMX-10RC (French armored combat vehicle), engineering operations involving sappers, air defense using Mistral missiles, anti-tank combat using Milan missiles, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, snipers, and CAESAR artillery systems. VAB armored personnel carriers are used to transport infantry.

Armament on which the Ukrainian Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv is being prepared in France. Source: Chef d'etat-major de l'armee de Terre

Thanks to this program, as of September 15, 2024, France has already trained almost 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel.

Since March, France has been training Ukrainian pilots to fly Alphajet aircraft, which is a prerequisite for the transition to F-16 or Mirage 2000-5 fighters.

As a Militarnyi previously reported, France promised to provide Ukraine with updated Mirage 2000-5F fighters in the first quarter of 2025.

Mirage 2000-5F fighter.

Photo credits: French Air and Space Force

Before shipment, the aircraft will be modernized to use air-to-ground weapons and will receive advanced electronic warfare systems.