UK and France plan exercise in Poland with 2,800 troops for future Ukraine mission

In an announcement on 3 November, the UK Ministry of Defence set out the scale of Koalicja: 11 countries taking part with around 2,800 personnel in total. The exercise is jointly led by the UK and France. The land and air elements are planned for Poland from 9 to 22 November 2026, with the maritime component in Istanbul. There is no confirmation yet that the exercise has begun on schedule.

Preparing for a post-hostilities mission, not a NATO operation

Koalicja has been announced as the first major exercise of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U), the military component of the Coalition of the Willing. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the aim is to test how a combined force can be moved, protected and supplied to help rebuild the Ukrainian armed forces after hostilities end.

According to London, deployment of the Multinational Force for Ukraine to the country depends on two conditions: hostilities must have ended, and the Ukrainian government must have requested its deployment. The force will not carry out peacekeeping duties or monitor compliance with a ceasefire.

According to Estonian public broadcaster ERR, this is not a NATO exercise and Ukraine will not take part, although MNF-U maintains close cooperation with Kyiv. The preparations should therefore not be taken as an Alliance decision to deploy. The announced 2,800 personnel represent the size of the exercise, not an agreed strength for a future contingent in Ukraine.

Command, logistics and air scenarios

The programme includes tests of command and control, the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies, and cooperation between national contingents. The practical task is to test whether the individual formations can operate and be supplied as a single force, rather than simply assemble at the same training area.

The UK’s announced contribution to the exercise includes an air component with Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and a Voyager tanker aircraft, as well as 300 personnel from 7th Brigade. According to TASS, citing the UK Ministry of Defence, the aircraft will rehearse a scenario for ensuring the safety of commercial flights when Ukrainian airspace reopens in the future. This is a training task, not an announcement that an air operation over Ukraine is beginning.

Alongside the UK and France, participants include Belgium, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Sweden and Estonia. According to ERR, Estonia’s contribution will be a company-sized unit.

The maritime component in Istanbul focuses on access to Ukrainian ports

Istanbul will be the location where Turkish forces practise organising the maritime component and prepare for mine countermeasures operations, the UK Ministry of Defence says in its announcement. Turkish forces will form MNF-U’s maritime component in Istanbul, which will test the organisation of mine clearance so that merchant shipping can safely return to Ukrainian ports.

This is the exercise’s Black Sea connection and its significance for Bulgaria: safe access to these ports affects regional shipping. Bulgaria is not among the announced participants, and the programme should not be taken to imply a Bulgarian military or logistical commitment.

Organising a maritime component in Istanbul does not mean deployment in Ukrainian waters. The specific mine countermeasures assets, training areas and whether the programme includes practical mine clearance have yet to be specified. These details will show what actual capability is being tested.