Britain and France Announce Nov. 9-22 Poland Drill With 2,800 Troops to Rehearse Ukraine Deployment

Since the Coalition of the Willing set up the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U) in 2025 as its military arm, the force has existed mostly on paper. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Britain and France announced it will be tested in the field.

Exercise Koalicja runs Nov. 9-22 near Nowa Dęba in southeastern Poland, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Poland stands in for Ukraine. About 2,800 soldiers, sailors and aviators will take part.

What the drill covers

The troops will practice moving, protecting and supplying a force, coordinating multinational command, and running air defense and counter-drone operations. The equipment is light, including drones, rather than tanks or heavy weapons.

The UK is sending 300 troops from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade, plus two RAF Typhoon fighters and a Voyager tanker-transport aircraft. The jets will simulate patrols that would reassure commercial aviation once Ukrainian skies reopen.

Turkey will lead a separate maritime simulation from Istanbul. It is meant to rehearse mine clearing in the Black Sea so commercial shipping to Ukrainian ports and grain exports can resume.

The countries named are Britain, France, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. French General Armel Dirou and British Lt Gen Tom Bateman will oversee the exercise.

The French contribution is reported at two different sizes. The Guardian cites 1,500 troops from France's 1st Division. The Kyiv Post cites about 1,100. Either way, France is the largest contingent.

Defensive, European, and not NATO

The UK Ministry of Defence says MNF-U is not a peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring force and has no connection to NATO. It would deploy only after fighting ends and at Kyiv's request.

Bateman said the force "is not designed for offensive operations." Its purpose, he said, is "reassurance" and helping regenerate Ukraine's armed forces so they can deter and, if necessary, defend against future Russian aggression. The intention is to station troops well away from the front.

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting put it this way: "This is not a hypothetical plan, it's a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops."

The force is also built to run without American help. The U.S. has taken part in discussions but is not contributing to the mission. President Donald Trump has said he would not commit American forces to peacekeeping in Ukraine after a durable ceasefire.

Planners are avoiding U.S. technology. The Typhoon and Voyager are European-made, and troops will not rely on Starlink. "We are not dependent on US systems," one official said.

The rules-of-engagement question

Western officials told The Guardian that troops could shoot back if attacked. "Clearly we will protect our forces against any aggression," one official familiar with the plans said, while stressing that the posture would be "defensive in nature." The rules would also let troops defend themselves against Russian drone attacks.

The BBC reports that officials have declined to spell out the rules of engagement in detail, though they say the force could defend itself. They also could not say what the final make-up and shape of any deployed force would be.

Moscow has not signed on. Russia has voiced opposition to foreign troops in Ukraine, and last year President Vladimir Putin said they would be "legitimate targets." The British government's position, in its own statement, is that it "has never sought confrontation with Russia" but that "not seeking confrontation does not mean failing to defend ourselves and our Allies."

The Guardian also notes that Russia has a long record of low-level attacks during the 2014-2022 ceasefire period. That raises the question of how Moscow would respond to an armed incident involving European troops.

Diplomacy has not caught up

A fresh round of autumn peace efforts has produced little progress, and Russia and Ukraine continue to hit each other's energy infrastructure. U.S.-brokered three-way talks are planned later this month, with the Abu Dhabi round scheduled for Nov. 10-11, the day after the drill begins.

No ceasefire exists for the force to enforce, and the exercise does not change that. What it does show is that Europe's main capitals are putting troops, aircraft and logistics behind guarantees they have so far described mostly in communiqués.

Officials won't say publicly what Britain and France would do if Russian fire actually hit a European unit inside Ukraine. Exercise Koalicja starts Nov. 9.