France helps to train 6 thousand servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

14 August, 2023 Soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade with the MO-120-RT61 mortar. July 2023. Ukraine.

Photo from the brigade's page As of August, France has helped train six thousand Ukrainian soldiers as part of defense assistance. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced this in an interview with Var Matin.

Training of Ukrainians took place in France and Poland. "In August, we have met the goal we set ourselves for the year -- to train 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers, split up between France and Poland," the Minister said. Lecornu noted that Ukraine's counteroffensive needed "a new generation of soldiers who need to be trained".

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

The Minister stressed that France continues to help Ukraine, in particular by supplying military equipment, artillery and ammunition. He added that Ukraine received batches of 155 mm artillery shells from France every month. As Militarnyi previously reported, the French Ministry of Defense reported on the transfer of arms to Ukraine in the amount of EUR640 million for 2022.

The report also mentions the free transfer of some armored vehicles and ammunition.

Some of the weapons were transferred by France.

This list includes 60 VAB armored vehicles, 24 155-mm artillery installations (it regards CAESAR self-propelled guns or TRF1 howitzers), 10 units of 120-mm RT 120 mortars, 118 missiles of unknown purpose, and two artillery launchers for them (it likely regards LRU MLRS).

In addition, the French government provided free of charge 34 7.62 mm machine guns, 562 12.7 mm machine guns, as well as 704 ATGMs and their launchers.

155mm shells manufactured by Forges de Tarbes, 2023.

Photo credits: AFP/LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Also, Ukraine ordered the supply of a large number of hulls for 155mm artillery shells from France.