During military exercises in Estonia in spring 2025, a contingent of Ukrainian soldiers, acting as opposing forces, reportedly overwhelmed NATO units using drone technology. This event occurred during the Hedgehog 2025 exercises, which involved over 16,000 troops from 12 NATO countries collaborating with Ukrainian specialists in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.
In one scenario, a coalition of several thousand troops, including a British brigade and an Estonian division, attempted an offensive. However, sources indicate that they underestimated the impact of drones on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces effectively monitored NATO troop movements and equipment deployments, enabling them to launch timely strikes.
“The NATO combat group was simply moving without any concealment, parking tents, or armored vehicles. Everything was destroyed,” recalled one participant who played the role of the opposing force.
A team of approximately ten Ukrainian soldiers utilized the Delta system during the exercises, which collects real-time battlefield intelligence, analyzes it with artificial intelligence, identifies targets, and coordinates attacks. Reports suggest that within just half a day of the exercises, they simulated the destruction of 17 armored vehicles and conducted 30 additional strikes on other targets.
Aivar Ganniotti, the coordinator of the Estonian-Ukrainian unit comprising around 100 personnel acting as the “conditional adversary,” noted that over 30 drones were employed to target NATO units within an area of less than 10.3 square kilometers. He emphasized that the overall outcomes of the exercises were “devastating” for NATO forces, as Ukrainian-Estonian troops managed to incapacitate two battalions in a single day, effectively halting further combat operations during the exercises. Ganniotti added that NATO units “did not even detect our drone teams.”
“Hedgehog 2025 also illustrated how Ukrainians can contribute to the overall security of Europe,” Ganniotti remarked.
Former commander of the Estonian Military Intelligence Center, Sten Reimann, stated that the results of these exercises were a “real shock” to military officials and participating units. He noted, “Hedgehog 2025 demonstrated how vulnerable any moving entity becomes on the battlefield. NATO needs to adjust its tactics and find more effective ways to protect its tanks and armored vehicles.”
The Hedgehog 2025 military exercises in Estonia highlighted the effectiveness of Ukrainian drone operations against NATO forces, raising concerns about battlefield tactics and vulnerabilities. The outcomes prompted calls for NATO to reassess its defensive strategies.