France began training and equipping Ukraine's Anne of Kyiv Brigade at the Grand Est military camp in eastern France in September. (EMA)
France began training an entire Ukrainian army brigade in September, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on its website on 10 October. Named after an 11th century princess from Kievan Rus who became queen of France after marrying King Henri I, the Anne of Kyiv Brigade consists of 2,300 soldiers.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to train and equip an entire Ukrainian brigade during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to France in June to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 6 June 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy. Macron, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, and Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov met the Ukrainian trainees at the Grand Est military camp in eastern France on 9 October.
The French training effort takes an integrated approach, combining various skills, and was developed in consultation with the Ukrainians, aimed at offering training as close as possible to real combat conditions, according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. The training began with a technical phase focused on equipment and training of officers, followed by the training of infantry battalions, and then the integration of combined arms capabilities at the battalion and then brigade level.
The training infrastructure and combat exercises are designed according to Ukrainian requirements based on their experience on the battlefield, with the creation of a trench network and a combat environment with stress, noise, and unmanned aircraft systems flying overhead.
A 1,500-strong specialised French task force is providing the training, equipment, ammunition, and support.
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