France trains and equips first Ukrainian brigade named after Anna of Kyiv as part of EU mission
The Ukrainian military brigade named after Anna of Kyiv has successfully completed training in France.
Rubryka reports with reference to the French General Staff's post on the X social network.
This brigade is the first Ukrainian unit to be fully trained and equipped by France. The training was carried out as part of the EU mission to train Ukrainian forces.
The released footage shows Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel practicing:
- firing with CAESAR self-propelled artillery systems,
- operating machine guns on armored vehicles,
- using portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS), and
- conducting assault maneuvers in combat-like conditions.
#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 x 🇫🇷
The first brigade of the 🇺🇦 trained and equipped in France has completed its training.
Trained by the 🇫🇷 army at the request of the Ukrainian army as part of #EUMAM Ukraine, the Anne de Kyiv brigade illustrates France's resolute support to @DefenceU pic.twitter.com/M80XBUC2ZF— The 🇫🇷 Joint Staff – Military operations (@FrenchForces) November 15, 2024
It is worth noting that France is the first country to not only provide comprehensive training but also fully equip the Ukrainian brigade with weapons and military equipment.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously announced that 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers of the new Anna of Kyiv Brigade would undergo training by the French military. He emphasized that this effort reflects France's solidarity with Ukraine.
The training program included:
- infantry combat,
- armored operations using AMX-10RC vehicles,
- engineering tasks with sappers,
- air defense using Mistral missiles,
- anti-tank combat with Milan missiles,
- deployment of UAVs,
- sniper tactics, and
- use of CAESAR artillery systems.
Я взяв на себе це зобов'язання: зараз наші військові навчають 2300 українських солдатів у Гранд-Есті, з обладнанням, яке вони використовуватимуть під час місій.
Бригада Анни Київської буде навчена та оснащена завдяки солідарності Франції. pic.twitter.com/6ewiQgqBk2
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 9, 2024
VAB armored personnel carriers are being used for infantry transportation.
As of September 15, 2024, France has trained nearly 15,000 Ukrainian servicemen through this program.
Additionally, since March, France has been training Ukrainian pilots on Alphajet aircraft, a crucial step for transitioning to F-16 or Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets.