How have French fishing nets from Brittany helped Ukraine in its fight against Russian drones?

A surprising meeting took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Paris on 17th November. Zelensky met with two volunteer Breton fishermen, Christian Abaziou and Gérard Le Duff, members of the “Kernic Solidarités” association (Finistère), along with other representatives from Brittany’s fishing industry. The Ukrainian President expressed his gratitude to the fishing industry and its members for supporting Ukraine by providing fishing nets for use as anti-drone defences.

How can fishing nets serve as an anti-drone defence?

Their humanitarian support to Ukraine began three years ago. Since then, the association has donated 280 kilometres of fishing nets to Ukraine, which were used in the Zaporizhzhia region to protect the city’s infrastructure, including roads, against remotely operated Russian drones. These nets have helped Ukraine to defend itself from drone attacks. In Ukraine, there are hundreds of these drone attacks every day. They usually target critical infrastructure such as energy facilities and other civilian sites with explosives.

Ukrainians have been installing these nets, stretching them between roadside poles. They have been effective in trapping and thus neutralising Russian drones.

An emotional meeting

During this half-hour meeting, Zelensky thanked the volunteers for their efforts to save lives in Ukraine. According to their testimonies to French media, the fishermen initially believed that being invited to Paris to meet the Ukrainian President was a “hoax”. They later took the opportunity to exchange with President Zelensky. The president of the Brittany fisheries committee, Yannick Calvez, who was one of the invitees to this special meeting, described the event as “moving”.

President Zelensky also posed for a photo with these men. In the picture shared on social media, he is seen wearing a vest bearing the slogan “Tout commence en Finistère,” or “It all starts in Finistère” in English.

The Finistère Departmental Council later issued a press release to announce that “Kernic Solidarités” will be receiving a €5,000 grant. The association has struggled to secure funding for its initiative and is seeking partnerships to help cover its logistical expenses.

Increased European Support to help Ukraine defend itself

The use of fishing nets as an “anti-drone” tool used against Russian drones has been part of Ukraine’s defensive efforts for some time now. French fishermen from the Brittany coast have been donating fishing nets to Ukraine for months to support the country’s defence efforts.

Similar donations of fishing nets have also previously been made by Sweden and Denmark, Ukraine’s Northern allies.

As a future peace deal or ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia remains uncertain, Ukraine’s western allies, especially France and the UK, continue to support the country in its defence efforts. Co-chairing the “Coalition of the Willing”, France and the UK remain actively engaged in supporting Ukraine and in using diplomatic tools to grant a robust and durable peace. The Coalition regularly holds high-level and cabinet-level meetings, both virtually and in person, between its 35 countries.

Within this framework, and as a result of Ukraine’s strong bilateral relations with France, Volodymyr Zelenski visited Paris again on 1st December.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace proposal, Volodymyr Zelenski also met up with leaders from key European allied countries: the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in London on 8th December. The leaders discussed the U.S.-backed peace initiative and shared their own perspectives on the proposal during this quadrilateral meeting at Downing Street.