‘In Real Life They Would Have Been Dead’: Ukrainian Drone Teams ‘Destroy’ Swedish Forces in NATO Drill

Ukrainian drone operators “destroyed” Swedish troops during a NATO exercise on Gotland, where Ukraine acted as an aggressor force. The drills tested responses to sabotage and hybrid threats near NATO’s eastern flank. Ukrainian instructors emphasized rapid adaptation to drone warfare, while European officials stressed improving detection and survivability systems. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (FILES) An employee of the Ukrainian SkyFall company conducts a test flight with a P1-Sun interceptor drone at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on March 19, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Ukrainian drone operators “destroyed” Swedish troops during a NATO -linked military exercise on the Baltic island of Gotland this week, according to participants and observers. The Swedish-led war games, witnessed by the Associated Press , simulated a scenario in which an unnamed adversary massed forces near NATO’s eastern flank while sabotage attacks caused power outages, cyber disruptions, and shortages of essential supplies on Gotland. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Ukrainian servicemen took part as instructors, playing the role of attacking forces using drone warfare tactics developed in combat against Russia. A 24-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot with the callsign “Tarik” said Swedish units were repeatedly eliminated during the training scenarios. “They stopped the training three times to figure out what to do better,” he said. “If this were real life, they would have been dead.” Another Ukrainian operator, callsign “Karat,” said Western forces still need to adjust to drone warfare conditions. “You need to see this with your own eyes,” he said, describing FPV drone operations conducted under electronic interference and limited battlefield awareness. Ukrainian instructors said Swedish troops had strong potential but needed further development in drone integration and counter-drone tactics at the command level. Swedish Chief of Defense Gen. Michael Claesson said Western militaries should accelerate adaptation of drone warfare methods used in Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Multiple Russian Fuel, Gas Sites Targeted in 286-Drone Overnight Barrage Fires broke out at Russian energy facilities in Astrakhan, Bashkortostan, and Krasnodar after a reported overnight wave of 286 drones. Authorities said most were intercepted, but debris and strikes triggered explosions, injuries, and damage at key gas and oil infrastructure sites across multiple regions. “All Western forces need to learn rapidly how to perform drone and counter-drone operations, and the fastest way is to listen to the Ukrainians,” he said. Brig. Gen. Curtis King of the U.S. military said survivability and detection systems were central lessons from the exercise. “What they’ve taught us is you have to really focus on your survivability and how you can’t be detected,” he said. The exercise focused on Gotland due to its strategic location in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. “If you control Gotland, you pretty much control the central part of the Baltic Sea,” Claesson said. The war game took place amid broader concerns in Europe over NATO cohesion and US policy under President Donald Trump, who has criticized the alliance and ordered troop reductions in Europe. Swedish officials said the scenario was designed to test response options before any invocation of NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause. Military planners also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin could potentially use limited pressure on places such as Gotland to test NATO’s response and cohesion. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.