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| Alphajets of the Patrouille de France fly over the Champs-Elysees avenue during the Bastille Day parade on Thursday in Paris. France is celebrating its national holiday with thousands of French troops marching down the Champs-Elysees avenue alongside allies from Eastern Europe. |
PARIS - Even Bastille Day, a significant political, historical, and symbolic celebration in France has been affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
On Thursday, thousands of French soldiers and friends from Eastern Europe marched along the Champs-Elysees avenue to mark France's national anniversary. In addition to jets, military vehicles, and a drone, the customary parade displayed France's power and its military support for Ukraine.
In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 20 weeks ago, the launch of this year's Bastille Day parade was intended to show France's commitment to NATO and its closest European allies.
Troops from Eastern Europe lead the Bastille Day parade on Thursday on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
With their national flags flying, troops from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary were placed in the front position. Following the invasion, international forces stationed in Romania marched after them.
Crowds gathered along the Champs-Elysees to see the procession in spite of the hotter-than-normal temperatures searing Paris this week.
Students of the elite French engineering school Polytechnique march during the Bastille Day parade on Thursday in Paris.
As the procession began, a group of young people from France's universal national service program jumped up and cheered, clearly excited to be in attendance. The initial formation of the fighter jets, which trailed red, white, and blue smoke above the Arc de Triomphe, particularly mesmerized the crowd.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Ukraine's surprise capacity to resist Russian aggression on the eve of Bastille Day. He demanded a "rethink" of France's military involvement in Africa as well as a review of France's military structure to make it more adaptable in the face of shifting threats.
French President Emmanuel Macron reviews the troops during the annual Bastille Day military parade on Thursday.
Macron addressed French military brass on Wednesday night, "Each and every one of us were moved by the moral courage of the Ukrainian country that allowed it to cling on despite an initially unfair balance of power."
"I've asked the minister, the joint chief of staff, and the general delegate for armaments to review the pertinence of our organizations, our structures, and even the way we look at things," the president said. "To be able to sometimes make decisions faster, to coordinate better and with efficiency, and to adapt to the evolutions of conflicts."
Troops from Eastern Europe lead the Bastille Day parade on Thursday in Paris.
More than 6,000 people, 200 horses from the French Republican Guard, 65 aircraft, 25 helicopters, and 181 cars participated in the ceremony on Thursday, which was presided over by Macron and other dignitaries.
A Reaper, a sophisticated American combat drone, swooped over the parade for the first time. Such a drone embodies the modernization of France's military equipment and was used in Niger and elsewhere in Africa's Sahel region as part of France's military operation to defeat jihadists. Drones are also a powerful symbol of the Ukraine war, where they're being used more intensively than in any other war to date.
The theme of this year's Bastille celebrations is "Share the Flame," which alludes to France serving as the host nation of the 2024 Olympics. Olympic and Paralympic athletes of note were invited to the event. A midnight fireworks display launched from the Eiffel Tower brings the extravaganza to a close.
A military drone takes part in the Bastille Day parade on Thursday in Paris.
The storming of the Bastille prison by irate Parisian mobs on July 14, 1789, is commemorated on Bastille Day. This event contributed to the French Revolution and, therefore, a feeling of national unity since it led to the granting of extensive rights to people in the years that followed.
Towns all around France and beyond hold celebrations, and there are events from New Orleans to Australia and beyond.
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