Media: British, French paratroopers finish final drill ahead of possible Ukraine mission

British and French paratroopers have carried out their final preparations for a potential peacekeeping deployment to Ukraine, in an exercise designed to test rapid-response capabilities for global operations.

More than 600 soldiers from the UK’s 16 Air Assault Brigade took part in a mock airborne raid alongside French troops from 11e Brigade Parachutiste in Brittany, France, Caliber.Az reports via The Telegraph.

The drill, known as Exercise Orion, coincided with the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

The operation is intended to prepare troops to deploy at short notice with Nato and comes after Sir Keir Starmer indicated that the UK and France would lead a peacekeeping force in Ukraine should a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv be agreed.

A defence source described the paratroopers as “the tip of the spear of the conventional army,” adding: “They are the most ready people to go and do anything.”

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the UK and France had committed to sending forces of around 5,000 troops each in the event of a peace deal. However, questions have been raised over Britain’s ability to field such a force, with the Army reduced to about 70,000 personnel – its smallest size in over two centuries.

Sir Keir was reportedly warned that achieving this commitment could require redeploying troops from Estonia and Cyprus to send a fully equipped brigade to Ukraine.

Al Carns, the armed forces minister, emphasised the long-term planning required, telling The Times: “When it comes to deterring Russia, we have three to five years before we have to fight a significant confrontation with a major state, a geographically constrained conflict in some shape or form. And the reality is, whether we like it or not, our military in a lot of cases hasn’t changed from the 1990s and 1990s. We’ve got to move faster, and on everything.”

Some 2,000 British and French personnel participated in Exercise Orion, which the Ministry of Defence said tested the ability to “support a Nato ally tackling an insurgency and the threat of invasion.”

The nine-day exercise, which began on February 24, involved troops leaping from RAF and French Air and Space Force transport planes, establishing defensive positions, and conducting mock ambushes and attacks. British Pathfinders and the French Groupe Commando Parachutiste landed covertly at St Cyr-Coëtquidan training area to destroy enemy air defences and mark a drop zone for the main force.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment landed alongside two French battlegroups, with Italy’s Brigata Paracadutisti Folgore also participating, before an RAF A400M delivered supplies.

General Renaud Rondet, the French commander overseeing the exercise, said: “This exercise also allows us to test new structures and equipment, particularly in the areas of hybrid communication networks and drone integration. The ability to innovate and adapt quickly is now a key factor in retaining superiority on the battlefield.”

Exercise Orion concludes on March 3.

By Aghakazim Guliyev