Overview
- Koalicja 2026 began on Monday, November 9, 2026, and runs through November 22 with about 2,800 troops from 11 countries operating in Poland, Romanian airspace and the western Black Sea.
- France and the United Kingdom are the principal contributors with the largest troop and air assets while Germany is providing about ten staff officers, logistical transit support and up to two A400M transport/air‑refuelling aircraft.
- Exercise scenarios include moving and supplying troops, using combat jets to practise protecting reopened airspace for civilian flights, and Turkish units conducting mine‑clearance drills in Istanbul to help reopen Ukrainian ports.
- Moscow has condemned the multinational force and warned that any foreign military presence in Ukraine would be treated as a legitimate target, a stance that sets clear political and security limits on how the force could operate.
- The manoeuvre builds on a coalition launched in early 2025 that now counts roughly 35 supporting states and is meant to show readiness to secure a ceasefire while signalling shared burden‑sharing among allies.