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Ukraine is investigating its special French-trained brigade after reports of mass desertion and command problems
France is among several Western nations aiding Ukraine with both training and weaponry in a bid to turn the tide in its nearly three-year-long war with Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, France has delivered military equipment and weaponry valuing more than 2.6 billion euros, in addition to training nearly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the country’s defense ministry. Over the last few months, a French military task force trained a brigade of Ukrainian troops on effective fighting tactics and how to use French-supplied military weaponry, including the tank-destroying AMX-10 armored vehicle. French and Ukrainian officials have referred to the AMX-10 as a “light tank,” but it lacks the large-caliber armament and tracks typically equipped on tanks. Its light aluminum armor left it vulnerable to Russian artillery. Better described as an armored reconnaissance vehicle, Ukraine initially struggled to effectively use the AMX-10 in its frontline defenses, instead adapting the vehicle’s operations to the Ukrainian battlefield.
