Photo: AS1 Georgia Callaway/Ministry of Defence
Paratroopers from the United Kingdom and France are carrying out final preparations ahead of a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.
More than 600 troops from Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade conducted a simulated airborne assault together with soldiers from France’s 11th Parachute Brigade. The drills took place in the Brittany region on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The exercises are the final stage of preparations to ensure the paratroopers are ready to deploy anywhere in the world alongside NATO forces. They come just weeks after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK and France could lead a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if Moscow and Kyiv reach a ceasefire agreement.
Although it has not yet been confirmed which units could be deployed, the 16 Air Assault Brigade is among Britain’s high-readiness forces capable of rapid deployment with NATO.
Around 2,000 British and French service members are taking part in the “Orion” exercise, a test mission designed to simulate support for a NATO ally facing insurgency and the threat of invasion, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The nine-day airborne exercise began on February 24 with troops parachuting from transport aircraft belonging to the Royal Air Force and the French Air and Space Force before digging in and taking defensive positions. Forces will repel simulated attacks, then conduct ambushes and assaults on opposing troops as part of training designed to reflect the realities of modern warfare.
Under the command of a French-led headquarters at the Orléans‑Bricy Air Base near Paris, British Pathfinders and a Commando parachute group secretly landed at the Saint‑Cyr‑Coëtquidan training area. They neutralized enemy air defenses and marked a drop zone for the main force, where soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment landed alongside two French battle groups. A platoon from Folgore Parachute Brigade of Italy also parachuted in before an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft delivered supplies.
French commander Renaud Ronde said the exercises were critical, noting they also allowed the military to test new structures and equipment, including hybrid communication networks and drone integration.
The drills will conclude on March 3.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the UK and France had committed to sending about 5,000 troops to Ukraine if a peace deal with Russia is reached. However, questions remain about whether Britain can field such a force, as its army has been reduced to around 70,000 personnel — the smallest size in more than 200 years.
This week, Prime Minister Starmer was warned that the UK might have to withdraw troops from Estonia and Cyprus to assemble a fully equipped brigade for deployment to Ukraine.
UK Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said on February 25 that Britain could be only three years away from a major war and warned the country is not fully prepared for such a conflict. In an interview with The Times, he said the UK may have between three and five years before facing a serious confrontation with a major power.
Earlier this year, Ukraine, France and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops from a “coalition of the willing” after the war ends. According to reports by The Times, Paris and London could each send about 7,500 soldiers to Ukraine — roughly 15,000 peacekeepers in total, still fewer than originally discussed.
