Military parade in France to be dedicated to supporting Ukraine — Le Figaro
The traditional military parade in France to mark Bastille Day, which will take place on July 14 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, will be entirely dedicated to supporting Ukraine and demonstrating the collective West’s readiness to stand up to Russia’s ongoing aggression.
This year’s event will have special political significance, as it will be the last military parade during the term of the country’s current president, Emmanuel Macron.
The French General Staff developed the concept for the event with the current critical strategic situation in Europe in mind.
The large-scale celebration is expected to be significantly larger in scope than last year’s event. Approximately 10,000 military personnel representing various branches of the armed forces will participate in the march.
In addition, the French military command has officially decided to increase the number of heavy ground vehicles and modern combat aircraft involved by approximately 30%.
Paris aims to clearly demonstrate to the international community the tangible results of the large-scale rearmament of its own army against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
The main and most spectacular element of the air component of the festive parade will be a unique demonstration of the joint Ukrainian-French aviation partnership.
Two Mirage 2000 supersonic fighters will be piloted by Ukrainian and French pilots. One of these powerful combat aircraft will be symbolically repainted in Ukraine’s national blue and yellow colors.
This move is intended to highlight the high level of military-technical cooperation and solidarity between Paris and Kyiv.
This was reported by the French publication Le Figaro.
Britain and France are preparing an international operation to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier, Iran launched a missile strike on the Ali Al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, where U.S. military personnel and contractors were stationed. The attack resulted in minor injuries among personnel and damage to American drones. The incident occurred amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an extension of the ceasefire with Tehran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and continues to interact with his inner circle, though he does so cautiously and primarily through written messages and intermediaries. Officials in Washington note that his activity has been increasing recently.