From 9 to 22 November, the Nowa Dęba training ground in the Podkarpackie region will host the first exercises of the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine. According to Le Monde, which reported on Monday, almost 3,000 soldiers will take part.
The French daily Le Monde reported on the manoeuvres on Monday, 2 November, calling them “unprecedented military exercises”. According to the paper, which is cited by Defence24 and RMF24 among others, the coalition of the willing, after nearly two years of meetings and summits, is moving “from declarations to practical action”. At the time of publication, we had not found a separate statement from the Ministry of National Defence (MON) or the General Staff on the matter.
Who will take part
According to Le Monde, almost 3,000 soldiers from about ten countries will take part in the exercises. France and the United Kingdom will be represented in the largest numbers, with Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Belgium also expected to participate. Participation of Ukrainian soldiers has also been announced. The Romanian portal Aktual24, citing the same daily, puts the figure at nearly 2,800 soldiers, while the Russian “Vedomosti” adds that around 500 Polish military personnel are to provide logistical support. These details have not been confirmed in an official statement.
NATO has been informed about the manoeuvres but will not take a direct part in them. According to the media, the coalition of the willing currently brings together 36–37 countries, mainly European, and first met in January 2025. France and the United Kingdom play the leading role.
What will be practised
The aim is to test whether the coalition could deploy forces in Ukraine on the day a ceasefire with Russia takes effect. As Le Monde reports (citing the Ukrainian outlet “Yevropeiska Pravda”), it will not be a show of force with tanks and missiles. According to the paper, the exercises will test the command system, the movement of troops and equipment across Europe, the cooperation of communications systems and counter-drone operations. The daily also writes that part of the air activities is to take place in Romania, and that the maritime component is to be simulated from Turkey. The United States is not taking part in the exercises, and its role in security guarantees for Ukraine remains unclear.
Earlier, “The Times” had written about the planned manoeuvres, citing at least 1,500 soldiers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. We reported on this in our article about exercises of European soldiers ahead of the mission in Ukraine. The current figures are clearly higher.
Why Poland and Nowa Dęba
Le Monde describes Poland as a “natural host”, pointing to its experience in training Ukrainian soldiers, including within the framework of the EU military assistance mission. The Nowa Dęba training ground, the second largest in the country, has for years also served allied units. As MON has reported, a training camp built together with Norway operates there, where Ukrainians are also trained. The training ground lies in south-eastern Poland, not far from the border with Ukraine.
What it means
Residents of the Nowa Dęba area and Podkarpacie may notice increased traffic of military vehicles and foreign soldiers between 9 and 22 November. The scope of any disruption and the rules for using roads should be set by the military and local authorities. In political terms, according to Le Monde, the manoeuvres are meant to show the readiness of European states to take part in securing Ukraine after a ceasefire and to strengthen their position in discussions about the country’s future. These are exercises, not a decision to send troops to Ukraine.
