Marines from Ukraine's 30th Marine Corps are participating in the Sea Breeze 26.1 multinational exercise hosted by Romanian Naval Forces at Babadag Training Area, the corps announced on social media. The Ukrainian delegation includes unmanned aerial system operators, scouts, combat medics, and officers from a multinational battalion staff, with training scenarios built on real Russo-Ukrainian war experience.
Sea Breeze continues one of the longest-running NATO-Ukraine joint military exercise frameworks annually since 1997, and represents the latest iteration since Russia's 2022 full-scale war forced relocation of the exercise from Ukrainian Black Sea waters to NATO host nations.
Approximately 450 military personnel from Romania, the US, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Türkiye, and Bulgaria participate in the exercise led by the US Sixth Fleet from 2 to 20 June 2026, per Romania Insider.
Drone operator protection scenario draws from current Russo-Ukrainian war conditions
The first phase of the exercise includes live-fire exercises, tactical actions, joint patrolling within multinational units, amphibious operations, fire training, and tactical medicine elements. Romania's 307th "Heracleea" Marine Infantry Regiment hosts the exercise at Babadag Training Area, Romania's largest military training ground.
One of the key training episodes involved the protection of unmanned aerial system operators. According to the exercise scenario, a simulated adversary attempted to detect and destroy a group of drone operators, with Ukrainian Marines tasked to identify the threat, cover the drone crews, and prevent mission disruption.
The scenario directly reflects current Russo-Ukrainian war conditions, where drone operators on both sides have become high-priority targets.
Russian forces deploy specialized counter-drone units, including the Rubicon counter-drone formation, specifically tasked with hunting Ukrainian unmanned aerial system crews and equipment.
Sea Breeze 25 was held in part in the United Kingdom in 2025, with Ukrainian Marines impressing NATO instructors with combat experience brought directly from the front lines. The exercise operates under the broader US Sixth Fleet command and contributes to NATO's Eastern Flank deterrence and Black Sea regional security architecture. Russia has traditionally protested Sea Breeze exercises, characterizing them as anti-Russian provocations in the Black Sea region.
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