TROIA, Portugal — Representatives from the Ukrainian navy participated in NATO’s largest unmanned maritime systems exercise this month, simulating the opposing force to test the capabilities of two dozen allied countries in scenarios inspired by frontline action.

Ukraine was one of 24 countries that took part in the Portugal-led military exercise, REPMUS 2025, from Sept. 1-26, dedicated to testing hundreds of autonomous systems for naval applications.

Captain Valter de Bulha Almeida of the Portuguese Navy told reporters that Ukrainian forces took on the role of the adversarial “red team,” with scenarios shaped by what they were seeing on the battlefield in their defense against Russia.

“The question is not who is winning, I am much more interested in developing tactics – we’re learning

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