French task force trains new brigade of Ukrainian fighters

The group of 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers known as the ‘Anne of Kyiv’ brigade, which has undergone two months of intense military training in eastern and southern France, is being put through its final paces before returning to Ukraine.

Once deployed, the French-trained brigade could prove to be a formidable force on the battlefield. It will eventually comprise 4,500 troops formed of infantry battalions, engineers, artillery teams and other specialists, French authorities have said.

The majority of Ukrainian fighters were recently mobilised and previously had only a few weeks of basic training before their arrival in France in September, the French military said.

It said the Ukrainian military is also training other troops for the brigade in Ukraine.

French military support for Ukraine’s war effort

The French military dedicated about 1,500 soldiers to the ‘Champagne’ task force assigned to teaching the Ukrainians how to fight effectively together and how to use and maintain their France-supplied weaponry.

It said the brigade’s arsenal will include 18 AMX 10 light tanks, 18 truck-mounted Caesar artillery pieces, 128 armoured troop carriers, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems, plus other weaponry and equipment.

With observation drones buzzing overhead and amid clouds of smoke and bursts of gunfire and explosions, the Ukrainian soldiers conducted exercises this week at a French military training camp, showing how they have learned to defend and storm a complex of trenches like those on the battlefronts in Ukraine.

The French military wouldn’t allow visiting journalists to interview the Ukrainians. French officers involved in the training said the troops are now better prepared for combat that they are likely to experience in the months ahead.

”They have improved a lot,” Colonel Paul said. The French military withheld his last name citing security reasons.

Russia ramps up attacks on Kyiv

The training of new Ukrainian troops comes at a critical juncture in the nearly three-year war which has shown no signs of slowing down.

On Wednesday, Russian forces launched a major attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with a combination of missiles and drones.

Eight regions were targeted, with Russia firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.

Russian forces are also driving westward in an effort to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Their forces have been bolstered by up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers who have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk border region to help beat back Ukrainian fighters there, according to US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments.

Russia’s military trained the North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone skills and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, according to US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

Kyiv officials said that Moscow has deployed around 50,000 troops in a bid to dislodge Ukrainian soldiers from the Kursk region.

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Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation isn’t known.

Biden administration reaffirms support for Kyiv

The Biden administration said it is determined to help Ukraine fight Russia before it hands power to president-elect Donald Trump in January.

The renewed expression of support came hours after Russia’s first missile attack on Kyiv since August.

The United States will send “as much aid as possible” to Ukraine in its final few months in power, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday during a visit to Brussels.

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”President (Joe) Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and 20 January,” when Donald Trump is due to be sworn in to power, Blinken said.

The US is currently the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine. Trump is yet to give concrete details on what his administration’s approach to the war will be, but he has said he would consider halting funds to the war war-torn country.