MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. France may send instructors to Kiev to service Mirage fighter jets and train air defense specialists, and field-test new French defense tech in the Ukrainian conflict, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, told TASS.
According to Stepanov, France could also participate indirectly by deploying private military companies (PMCs) to Kiev, tasking them with training personnel, introducing technology, and protecting military infrastructure.
"The first type of such structures is responsible for training Ukrainian personnel, including flight crews, for the subsequent transfer of Mirage and Rafale fighter jets, which has already been announced. This includes Defense Conseil International, the leading French military services exporter, which has been training the Ukrainian military since 2022. The organization can rapidly deploy 100-200 instructors to service Mirage jets and train air defense specialists," Stepanov said.
The second type, he added, "is important for implementing measures to ensure the maximum deployment of various unmanned systems, creating conditions for future sabotage operations against Russia." In this category, Stepanov cites the French company Secopex (part of Groupe Gorge), which specializes in the production and operation of reconnaissance drones. "Public sources report that Kiev is negotiating with this company on the transfer of expertise and technology in the field of unmanned systems," he noted.
