Lavrov says exercises in Poland rehearse sending troops into Ukraine

Against the backdrop of talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, the Coalition 26.2 exercises are underway in Poland involving 2,800 servicemen from 11 countries. Sergey Lavrov claims that their scenario is the entry of European troops into Ukraine after a ceasefire. The Polish Defense Ministry describes the goals differently.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 10 November 2026 at 17:322 min read

The key facts

The Coalition 26.2 exercises are taking place in Poland from November 9 to 22, involving 2,800 troops from 11 countries
Lavrov linked the maneuvers to plans to deploy “stabilization forces” in Ukraine after a ceasefire
The statement was made on the eve of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11

What Lavrov said

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that European countries, in the course of military exercises that have begun in Poland, are rehearsing a scenario for sending troops into Ukraine. According to him, European states intend to deploy so-called stabilization forces on the territory controlled by Kyiv immediately after a ceasefire, and it is precisely this scenario that underlies the maneuvers. The statement was made following a joint meeting of the heads of foreign policy and defense agencies, as well as the secretaries of the security councils of the CSTO countries, reports Life.ru.

What is known about the exercises

We are talking about the Coalition 26.2 exercises, which are taking place from November 9 to 22. According to the Polish Defense Ministry, 2,800 servicemen from 11 countries are involved, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland; participants are practicing troop transfers, logistics and support for a possible international mission in Ukraine after the end of hostilities. Lavrov gave different figures: “So far 2,000 people are taking part there. But the exercise scenario is the entry of troops into Ukraine to protect the Kyiv Nazi regime from the Russian Federation,” Life.ru quotes him as saying.

Context of the talks and the Foreign Ministry's reaction

The statement came against the backdrop of trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for November 10–11. The Russian side has repeatedly opposed the deployment of European military personnel on Ukrainian territory. The day before, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized the exercises of the “coalition of the willing”: in her view, holding the maneuvers at this moment confirms that European countries have no place at the negotiating table on the Ukrainian settlement.