At the NATO REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 2025 exercises off the coast of Portugal, a multinational team under Ukrainian command, acting as the “opposing force,” defeated the Alliance’s forces, winning all five scenarios targeting ports and convoys, as reported by FAZ
The main outcome of the maneuvers was the simulated destruction of at least one NATO frigate, which “sank” because Alliance detection systems failed to notice the approach of fast unmanned strike vessels.
On the NATO (“Blue”) side were American, British, Spanish, and other units, while the opposing (“Red”) side relied on Ukrainian Magura V7 naval drones in various configurations: one equipped with explosives, another with a heavy machine gun.
Victory was counted under the exercise rules as soon as the target was locked at close range, meaning it was enough to guide the drone onto the frigate or convoy ship before the enemy could detect it.
In one scenario, Ukrainian forces scored so many simulated hits on a frigate that, in a real battle, the ship would have sunk—yet the “Blue” crew was still asking in the general chat five minutes later whether the attack had even started.
It’s emphasized that the Ukrainians drew on real combat experience: drones like the Magura V7, along with other unmanned systems, were effectively the same tools that previously neutralized parts of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, sinking some warships and confining others to their bases.
