It is there, deployed in a position about fifteen kilometers from the Russian front lines, the French self-propelled gun Caesar, hidden under a camouflage net. The sky is so low, this last morning of the year 2024, that the commander of several self-propelled artillery batteries takes the opportunity to pay a quick visit to his men. “Heaven is with us,” says the 26-year-old senior officer, “Cossack”, his nom de guerre, rejoicing in the fog which limits Russian drone flights. Along this edge of woods planted between two fields, a few men smoke cigarettes, drink tea, try to warm themselves in a makeshift shelter, in the black and frozen earth.
Just two months ago, far from it, everyone was participating in training in eastern France, aiming to form the 155e mechanized brigade, named “Anne of kyiv”. The announcement of the creation of the unit, equipped by France, was made by Emmanuel Macron, during the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, in which his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, participated.
You have 86.25% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
France
