with the soldiers of the Anne-de-kyiv brigade trained in Champagne

DBursts of AK-47s snapping. Smoke bombs rising. Exploding grenades. Thursday, in this maneuver camp in Champagne, a special exercise is taking place. With blank bullets. Maneuvering inside a deep network of trenches, a handful of Ukrainian soldiers attempt to resist an enemy offensive. A thousand days after the start of Russia's invasion of their country, this scenario is intended to be as realistic as possible, with the conditions that their comrades endure more than 3,000 km away, in the Donbass, on this front line where fighting rages against Vladimir Putin's troops.

It is precisely to prepare for this trial by fire and to risk their lives that 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers arrived here in eastern France in mid-September. These men are those of the new Anne-de-kyiv brigade, whose training was carried out by 700 French soldiers protected from daily air strikes by the Russian air force.

“We are ready”

It was therefore in a country at peace that they learned, in just nine weeks, to become fighters and above all to acquire the basics of a tactical culture essential to resist and hope to survive. Essential because 90% of them are conscripts, novices who, upon their arrival, only had one month of initial training. The remaining 10% are experienced and seasoned veterans. For a little over two months, French troops trained them in drone warfare, to operate armored vehicles, including AMX-10 RC tanks, to fire Caesar cannons, to evacuate the wounded, to coordinate their actions, to mine, to demine…

“With the Caesar, we went from the ax to the scalpel”

This Thursday marks the end of their training, with an exercise that began seventy-two hours earlier under the orders of Colonel Dmytro Riumshyn, the commander of this Anne-de-kyiv brigade: “The training was very effective. We are ready. When we are engaged in combat, our brigade will show its competence. » In front of a Caesar cannon, this flagship of French artillery which now equips the Ukrainian army, Nazar, the head of the artillery division, approves: “We are in good shape and ready to carry out orders. » He is a veteran like most officers.

At his side, Petro has also been mobilized since the first day of the Russian invasion. With this nuance: for him, the war did not start in February 2022 but in “2014”. “There is no easy battle,” he emphasizes. I am proud of all my men. » Above all, the prospect of being able to respond with the Caesar cannon and its 155 mm shells reassures him: “I started with a Soviet artillery piece, but it was not very precise. With the Caesar, we went from the ax to the scalpel. »

38.5 years average age

In the opinion of the trainers, the level of Ukrainian gunners is “very good”. In the end, a model of a mixed army is emerging: “There is a little bit of France, a little bit of Ukraine and a very strong desire to fight to the end,” underlines this French officer. . A duality that is all the stronger as this training is accompanied by a major equipment transfer plan, in this case all those with which the Ukrainians did this accelerated training: armored front vehicles, AMX-10 tanks RC, Caesar cannons, anti-tank missiles (read below)…

“Our corporals, who are 20-21 years old, have instructed people who are old enough to be their fathers and who are going to war”

However, beyond this unprecedented global approach, this Anne-de-kyiv brigade, between its veterans and its conscripts, also reflects the reality of a country bled by war and overcome by weariness. Proof of the difficulties in recruiting, the average age is 38.5 years. The faces of certain soldiers cannot hide the ravages of time, such as this 53-year-old armored vehicle driver, former employee in a chemical factory.

This human parameter also contributed greatly to the uniqueness of this training: “Our soldiers experienced this mission with great seriousness,” confides this French officer. Our corporals, who are 20-21 years old, have instructed people who are old enough to be their fathers and who are going to war. It is a priceless teaching. »

“For us, it’s an existential fight. If we lose this war, we will disappear”

War, precisely. In a few weeks, these men will be sent to the front. “For us, it’s an existential fight,” observes Colonel Dmytro Riumshyn. If we lose this war, we will disappear. We are all aware of this. We fight for our families, for our homes. This is why we will win. »

In this besieged Ukraine that awaits them, the Anne-de-kyiv brigade has chosen as its motto, that of the Verdun poilus: “We do not pass. »

“We stop scattering our efforts”

While France has already trained 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the Russian invasion, the Anne brigade in kyiv has just launched a new cycle of aid to Ukraine. In addition to military training, there is a vast equipment transfer plan. Thus, upon their return to Ukraine, the 2,300 men of this brigade will continue their mission with all the equipment on which they were trained in Champagne. It is therefore a global approach that has just emerged. Concretely, France gave them 128 armored forward vehicles, 18 AMX-10 RC tanks, 18 Caesar cannons, 15 logistics trucks, 50 Milan posts with 130 anti-tank missiles, six Mistral posts with 30 missiles and various weapons. In recent hours, a first train with around a hundred vehicles from the armored front has headed towards Ukraine.

“This is an unprecedented approach. We are the first country to implement such a principle, Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, emphasized on Thursday. Clearly, we stop scattering our efforts between training and transfer. » From now on, the two parts are linked. “It’s not just the equipment,” he continued. What has a tactical effect on the ground are formed combat units. » As to whether this initiative can be repeated, the Minister of the Armed Forces assured: “I stand ready to be able to do it if the President of the Republic asks me to do so. » Everything will also depend on Ukraine's ability to send more than 2,000 soldiers at the same time to France for nine weeks.