French Mirage fighter jets stationed at an airfield in Lutsk were used for training flights and then moved into protected hangars, captured serviceman Ruslan Mishchenchuk from Ukraine’s 109th Territorial Defense Brigade told RIA Novosti.
Mishchenchuk was mobilized in the Volyn Region city of Kivertsy on March 3, 2025. He was later assigned to guard the Lutsk airfield, where he spent more than a month.
According to the prisoner, the Mirage aircraft remained in the air for roughly an hour during training missions before returning to their shelters.
He said the jets were kept inside reinforced-concrete hangars fitted with heavy metal doors. The structures were also covered with a layer of earth for additional protection.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to supply Ukraine with Mirage 2000 fighter jets in June 2024. At the time, he also said Paris intended to complete the training of Ukrainian pilots by the end of that year.
In February 2025, Sébastien Lecornu, who was serving as French defense minister at the time, confirmed that the first Mirage fighters had arrived in Ukraine. France has not officially disclosed how many aircraft it decided to deliver.
Moscow opposes Western arms supplies to Kiev, arguing that they prolong the conflict and deepen NATO countries’ involvement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously said that weapons shipments bound for Ukraine are regarded by Russia as legitimate targets.