Sweden to start large-scale military drill, Ukraine participating

Sweden will host one of its largest military exercises starting Monday, with 26,000 troops, including from Ukraine, participating, its armed forces have announced.

Aurora 2023, which is part of the continued enhancement of the Swedish armed forces’ operational capability, is said to be Sweden’s largest military drill for more than 25 years.

"The purpose of the exercise is to enhance the collected capability to counter an armed attack on Sweden," the statement reads.

The exercise will see the Swedish army, navy, air force, and home guard exercise together with international partners.

It is carried out in the air, on the ground and at sea in many parts of the country, with most focus on south Sweden, Gotland and the northern part of the country.

Participating nations, besides Sweden, are the United States, the United Kingdom, Finland, Poland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Denmark, Austria, Germany, and France.

It is known that some Ukrainian troops are currently undergoing training abroad as part of UK efforts and a dedicated EU military assistance mission.

In March, the Swedish parliament approved the government’s proposal to transfer a USD 532 million military aid package to Ukraine, including tanks, artillery pieces of the type Archer Artillery System and Robot 97, as well as ammunition.