Ukrainian drone operators beat their NATO rivals in exercises in Sweden
NATO exercises took place on the island of Gotland
Military exercises involving NATO units and Ukrainian troops were held in Sweden, the AP reports.
The scenario involved a threat to Sweden from an unnamed state building up its forces near the Alliance’s eastern border. The exercises took place on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. According to the exercise scenario, the island faced power cuts and food shortages due to sabotage. The manoeuvres took place against a backdrop of rising tensions in Europe and discussions surrounding the US’s role in NATO.
The head of the exercises, Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström, stated that such a scenario “could theoretically happen tomorrow”.
Europe is monitoring the US stance on NATO
The Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces, Mikael Claesson, stated that any changes to the US military presence affect the security situation in Europe. He noted that US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding the reduction of American troops in Europe are causing concern, but this does not mean that the US is leaving the continent.
Donald Trump has previously called NATO a “paper tiger” and ordered the withdrawal of at least 5,000 US troops from Germany. There is also concern in Europe over the redeployment of US air defence systems and missiles from Europe to the Middle East.
Ukrainian drone operators outperformed Swedish units
During the exercises, Ukrainian drone operators played the role of a simulated enemy.
A 24-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot with the call sign “Tarik” told the Associated Press that Ukrainian troops were able to “destroy” the Swedish units as part of the exercise scenario. According to him, the exercise was halted three times to analyse the Swedish military’s mistakes.
“If this were real life, they’d be dead by now,” said the soldier.
Another Ukrainian drone operator, codenamed “Karat”, stated that Western armies need to better understand modern drone warfare.
He explained that Ukrainian operators often work on the front line with virtually no visual contact and are forced to make decisions with limited information.
“You have to see it with your own eyes,” he said.
NATO urged to learn from Ukraine more quickly
Mikael Claesson stated that Western countries need to learn “very quickly” how to conduct operations using drones and how to counter them. According to him, the quickest way to do this is to listen to the Ukrainian military.
US Army Brigadier General Curtis King stated that the Ukrainians have taught their allies to pay greater attention to stealth and survival on the battlefield. At the same time, he emphasised the need to develop early drone detection systems.
During the exercises, particular attention was paid to the island of Gotland, which is situated between Sweden and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Mikael Claesson stated that control over Gotland effectively means control over the central part of the Baltic Sea.
After the end of the Cold War, Sweden significantly reduced its military presence on the island, but began to strengthen it following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sweden and Finland joined NATO in 2024.
According to Mikael Claesson, one possible scenario is that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attempt to test NATO’s reaction by seizing a small part of the Alliance’s territory.
