Mirage 2000 to repeat fate of F-16 in Ukraine — French military correspondent
Department of Research, Studies and International News 08-02-2025
Christelle Neant said that several fighter jets are nothing in comparison with Russia’s vast fighter aircraft fleet
French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets, delivered to Ukraine, will not be able to reverse the situation on the battlefield, repeating the fate of US-made F-16 fighters, stated Christelle Neant, the French editor-in-chief of the International Reporters news agency in Donbass.
Earlier in the day, French Foreign Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets with Ukrainian pilots have arrived in Ukraine.
“I don’t understand why Paris continues this escalation, because a few Mirage 2000 fighter jets in Ukraine will not change anything on the frontline. A few jets are not enough to reverse the situation. We’ve seen this enthusiasm before, when F-16 fighter jets were touted as a game changer for Ukraine. As a result, only one got [into the media spotlight], the rest never resurfaced. I think the Mirage 2000 will repeat their fate,” Neant said.
She said that several fighter jets are nothing in comparison with Russia’s vast fighter aircraft fleet.
“Also, Ukrainian pilots underwent a very short training, so they will die very quickly when they come across our air defenses, or our planes, or helicopters,” she added.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier emphasized that the F-16 jets would not influence the course of hostilities and would be consistently destroyed by the Russian armed forces.
