Kiev (Agencies): Ukraine has confirmed the first combat deployment of French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jets, with Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat stating that the aircraft were used overnight to counter a large-scale Russian attack on the country’s energy infrastructure.
Kiev received its first batch of the fourth-generation jets from France last month. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had previously confirmed that Ukrainian pilots were undergoing training in France to operate the aircraft.
According to a statement by Ignat on Facebook, the Mirage 2000s played a crucial role in intercepting more than 100 Russian drones and 34 missiles, successfully preventing ten missiles from reaching their intended targets. Ukrainian army spokesman Dmitry Likhovi also acknowledged the deployment, highlighting that the strikes coincided with the first large-scale Russian assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure since Washington paused military aid to encourage negotiations with Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces had conducted an overnight strike on Ukrainian energy facilities supporting Kiev’s military-industrial complex. The ministry claimed that all designated targets were destroyed but did not comment on Ukraine’s reported use of Mirage 2000 jets. Russia also reported conducting seven group strikes across Ukraine since early March, targeting military airfields, ammunition depots, and drone control centers.
France initially announced plans to supply Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine last summer, but deliveries faced repeated delays. While the exact number of aircraft remains undisclosed, reports from Le Journal du Dimanche in October suggested that Kiev would receive only six planes.
Russian defense conglomerate Rostec has dismissed the Mirage 2000 as outdated, arguing that it is “significantly inferior” to modern Russian fighter jets. A company representative previously stated that the Mirage 2000 shares structural vulnerabilities with US-made F-16s, limiting its operational effectiveness near the frontlines. The long-anticipated arrival of F-16s in Ukraine has reportedly had minimal battlefield impact, with Kiev losing its first F-16 during a maiden combat mission in September 2024.