During military exercises with NATO countries in Estonia, a Ukrainian group defeated battle groups of the Alliance. The team played the role of the opposing force and carried out drone attacks.
Ukrainian successes during the exercises
The report refers to the Hedgehog 2025 exercise – a large-scale NATO military drill involving 12 member states. Exercises took place in spring 2025. In total, more than 16,000 troops took part. They trained alongside Ukrainian UAV specialists, including soldiers temporarily deployed from active combat zones.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the course of the exercises. In one scenario, a force of several thousand troops, including British and Estonian soldiers, launched an offensive. However, they underestimated the role of drones in modern warfare. Using UAVs, Ukrainian troops tracked NATO vehicle movements and struck targets.
“The NATO battle group just walking around, not using any kind of disguise, parking tents and armored vehicles. (…) It was all destroyed,” one participant said.
According to WSJ, in just half a day of training, Ukrainian forces conditionally destroyed 17 armoured vehicles and attacked 30 other targets. The Ukrainian team consisted of around 10 soldiers and used the Delta system. It operates in real time, collecting battlefield intelligence and analysing it with artificial intelligence. Delta also identifies targets and coordinates strikes.
NATO’s conclusions
The Ukrainian group attacked Alliance units with at least 30 drones in an area of less than 10.3 square kilometres, said Aivar Hanniotti, coordinator of the Estonian-Ukrainian unit. A force of about 100 personnel played the role of the “mock enemy” on the battlefield. Hanniotti said that Hedgehog 2025 was also an example of how Ukrainians can contribute to Europe’s overall security.
The coordinator described the results as frightening for NATO forces. Estonian-Ukrainian units successfully “destroyed” two battalions within a day, meaning they could no longer continue combat operations within the exercise scenario. According to Hanniotti, NATO units did not even detect the drone teams of the opposing force.
Sten Reimann, former commander of Estonia’s Military Intelligence Centre, called the results a real shock, stressing that they surprised not only military officials but also the soldiers involved.
“Still, Hedgehog showed how visible the battlefield has become – and how vulnerable that makes anyone or anything moving on it. NATO will need to adjust its tactics and find better ways to protect its tanks and armoured vehicles,” WSJ wrote.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Western societies increasingly expect a nuclear war within the next five years. Many believe the world is heading toward World War III, and at least a third of Americans, Britons, French and Canadians think nuclear weapons could be used in the near future.
