Key takeaways
- Exercise Koalicja opened on 9 November at Nowa Dęba, Poland, with about 2,800 troops from 11 nations until 22 November.
- The exercise rehearses how the Multinational Force-Ukraine would deploy, but only once hostilities have ended and at the invitation of Ukraine's government, according to UK government guidance.
- Russia's foreign ministry said any military units in Ukraine would be legitimate targets; organisers say the force is not offensive.
Exercise Koalicja began on Monday 9 November at Nowa Dęba, in southeastern Poland about 100 km from the Ukrainian border. It runs to 22 November. About 2,800 troops from 11 nations are taking part: Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. It is the first major exercise of the Multinational Force-Ukraine (MNF-U), the military arm of the Coalition of the Willing, a largely European group of states backing Ukraine's postwar security. Britain and France jointly lead the force, which is commanded by a British officer.
As we reported when Britain and France announced the exercise, no troops will enter Ukraine. At the launch, Lt Gen Tom Bateman, the British commander of MNF-U, said, according to Notes from Poland: "This exercise will show that the Multinational Force-Ukraine is a real, capable, readily deployable force that represents a serious commitment from Coalition of the Willing nations to Ukraine's long-term stability and security."
What the force is practising
Il Sole 24 Ore lists five areas of work:
- moving personnel and equipment by land, rail and air
- command and communications between national forces
- protection, including counter-drone defence
- support for Ukraine's armed forces, with training and rebuilding simulated
- maritime security
France is the largest contingent, with about 1,100 troops, AFP reported. The UK Ministry of Defence says Britain sends 300 personnel plus Typhoon and Voyager aircraft. The Dutch defence ministry says in a statement published on 9 November that "several hundred" Dutch soldiers take part. Poland is the host nation and is responsible for logistical support for the whole exercise. Polish outlet Spider's Web reported that nearly 2,000 Polish military personnel are involved, including those securing the exercise, and that Poland does not plan to send its own soldiers into Ukraine as part of the force.
Turkey leads the maritime component as a simulated exercise coordinated from Istanbul. No Turkish troops are in Poland. The simulation rehearses possible Black Sea mine-clearance procedures, meant to help restore commercial shipping to Ukrainian ports in future, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. The U.K. and France describe it as a simulation. Aviation trade outlet AviationPros reported that the exercise also takes in the airspace over Romania and the western Black Sea.
The organisers set clear limits. MNF-U is not a NATO force. The UK government's published guidance says the force would deploy only at the invitation of Ukraine's government and once hostilities have ended, and that it would not carry out peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring duties. The Dutch Ministry of Defence says taking part in the exercise does not automatically mean the Netherlands will send troops to Ukraine, and that any Dutch participation in a deployment after the war remains subject to international and national political decisions. Britain and France launched the coalition in 2025.
Observers are reading: how Moscow's reaction, Europe's unclear seat in Abu Dhabi and the RUSI assessment frame what Koalicja can and cannot achieve.
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What to watch
Analysis. The Turkish strand shows the pattern. A simulated mine-clearance run from Istanbul indicates that Black Sea planning is advancing, but it depends on a peace that has not been agreed. The Financial Times reported in February that the second tier of a response framework for ceasefire violations was intervention by a European-led coalition. That framework also presupposed a ceasefire.
Two markers will show how much Koalicja changes. One is whether the Abu Dhabi round produces any ceasefire framework. The other is what the organisers say publicly when the exercise closes on 22 November. Until the fighting stops, MNF-U remains a rehearsed option rather than a deployable one.
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