France delivers first Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine

PARIS, Feb 06 (AFP): France on Thursday delivered a first shipment of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine to help Kyiv defend its airspace against Russia, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Thursday.

"The first of these aircraft have arrived in Ukraine today," Lecornu said on X, without saying how many had been delivered. After France helped train Ukrainian pilots over recent months, "they will now help defend Ukraine's skies", he added.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed the delivery of the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France.

"The first Mirage 2000 jets from France have arrived, adding to our air defence capabilities," Zelensky said, adding that "France's president (Emmanuel Macron) keeps his word, and we appreciate it. This is another step in strengthening Ukraine's security".

Meanwhile, a resident of a Russian border town who spied on Russian troop movements for Ukraine has been sentenced to 17 years for "high treason", prosecutors said Thursday.

Moscow has jailed hundreds of people for collaboration and acts of pro-Ukrainian sabotage since it began its full-scale military assault on Ukraine in February 2022.

The 52-year-old, named by the court's press service as Artur Yun-Ku-Po, lived in the Bryansk region town of Klintsy, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Prosecutors said he monitored the "locations and routes" of Russian troops.