Ukraine-Led Forces “Overwhelm” NATO Fleets in Major Naval Exercise, Simulate Frigate Sinking with Sea Drones
In a striking development during NATO’s flagship REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 2025 naval exercises in Portugal, a Ukraine-led multinational “Red Team” has exposed critical vulnerabilities in Alliance maritime defenses, successfully defeating NATO forces across all five simulated combat scenarios.
According to reporting by German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Ukrainian-led force comprising personnel from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain and other partners acted as the opposing force and achieved decisive victories in every scenario, including port defense and convoy protection drills.
In one of the most notable outcomes, the team executed a coordinated sea drone attack using Ukrainian MAGURA naval drones, scoring enough simulated hits on a NATO frigate that it would have been sunk in real combat conditions.
A participant involved in the exercise revealed a key concern, stating that NATO forces often failed to detect the incoming unmanned threats altogether, highlighting serious gaps in detection and response capabilities against low-profile maritime drones.
The drills demonstrated how Ukraine’s real-world combat experience with naval drones honed in the Black Sea can challenge even advanced Western naval systems. Analysts note that unmanned systems, when combined with operational experience and tactical planning, now represent a significant and evolving threat to traditional naval forces.
A NATO spokesperson confirmed the exercise and described it as a “historic milestone,” emphasizing that the primary objective was to identify weaknesses and adapt future strategies in response to emerging threats.
While the engagement was a controlled simulation, the results are already raising serious questions about the Alliance’s preparedness for drone-centric naval warfare.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)