The third day of Euronaval 2026, held on November 5 at Paris Nord Villepinte, brought French presidential politics onto the show floor.

Three leading candidates used the halls to stake out positions on frigates, NATO and the drone fleet. Meanwhile, industry did the less visible work: signing supply-chain contracts, enlarging existing designs and rolling out modular platforms meant to grow with new technology.

The Candidates Talk Frigates

Édouard Philippe (Horizons), Bruno Retailleau (Les Républicains) and Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement national) all toured the show on Thursday.[1] L’Opinion also counted Éric Zemmour among the candidates in attendance.[2]

The number of frigates became the shorthand for each candidate’s maritime ambition. Philippe backed a fleet model of at least 18 frigates, compared with the roughly 15 first-rank frigates the Navy plans to field from 2030. He said the defense effort under way since 2017 “should not be relaxed” and that France must “massify” its conventional forces while taking “our full place in NATO” and helping build a European pillar within it.[3]

Retailleau went further, saying France would need “18 or 21” frigates. He also used the visit to revive the idea of a right-and-center primary to be held by mid-February at the latest.[1]

Le Pen said that about a hundred vessels overall is “probably not enough” for a country with the world’s second-largest maritime domain, and called for more frigates while acknowledging budget limits. She named irregular immigration around Mayotte, drug trafficking and undersea-cable surveillance as maritime priorities. She also repeated that she favors France eventually leaving NATO’s integrated command.[4] “The drone is the sailor’s best friend,” she said.[1]

Philippe used his visit to attack the NATO positions of Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.[2]

Building the Supply Chain

The most concrete industrial news came from the Greek pavilion. Naval Group signed 10 contracts with Greek companies under its Hellenic Industrial Participation program for the FDI frigates, plus two research and development memoranda of understanding.[5]

Five contracts cover frigate construction. Salamis Shipyards will build new FDI hull blocks, METLEN will make torpedo doors in Volos, and other firms will produce electrical and propulsion control panels and composite components. The other five cover support services. The MoUs, with FEAC and SOTIRIA Technology, address undersea warfare, digital twins, signature analysis, magnetometers and seabed-warfare sensors.[5]

Naval Group CEO Pierre Éric Pommellet called the partnerships “fundamental to the success of the FDI program.” More than 75 Greek companies are now in the FDI supply chain. The second Greek frigate, Nearchos, was delivered on October 30, and the third, Formion, is due in December.[5]

A Bigger FDI

Naval Group also showed a stretched version of the FDI. An almost nine-meter section added amidships raises displacement by nearly 800 tonnes to about 5,400 tonnes, and length to nearly 131 meters.[6]

The added volume opens up options for more Exocet anti-ship missiles, additional air-defense cells, A70 launchers for naval cruise missiles, and more than 300 containerized loitering munitions. It also leaves room for drone-control equipment, special-forces support and an admiral’s staff. These are proposed configurations, not an order.[6]

This presentation builds on the day-two announcement that the DGA had ordered an increase in Aster cells on French FDIs from 16 to 32.[7]

Modular Hulls and Motherships

Fincantieri unveiled its Multi-Mission Modular Vessel, a 50-meter, 500-tonne ship built to operate with a core crew of six. It uses interchangeable 10- and 20-foot mission modules for surveillance, infrastructure protection, underwater missions and loitering munitions, and leaves open the possibility of uncrewed operation in the future.[8]

CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said that for Fincantieri, “modularity is not simply a design feature: it is a new paradigm.”[8]

The same day, Fincantieri listed the agreements it signed at the show. These included a joint venture agreement with Indonesia’s REPUBLIKORP to set up a local shipbuilding company, and a letter of intent with Denmark’s J.A. Solutions on containerized systems for reconfigurable naval units.[9]

ST Engineering gave its Multi-Role Vessel its European debut. The 150-meter, 8,000-tonne crewed mothership concept is designed to launch and coordinate uncrewed surface vessels. EDR described the concept as “manned brain, unmanned muscle.”[10]

Partnerships and Orders

Babcock and Everllence signed an MoU that would make Everllence a strategic power-and-propulsion partner for future Arrowhead 140 frigate programs, including potential Danish requirements such as the Arctic Frigate.[11] Exail announced that it had joined Babcock’s ARMOR Force autonomy ecosystem, alongside Thales, Hensoldt, Kraken and others.[12]

HGH announced a French Navy order for three SPYNEL-F panoramic infrared cameras for the Maritime Gendarmerie. This is the second phase of an experimentation program that followed trials in January.[13]

General Atomics displayed a concept for delivering its Vektrex maneuvering projectiles as submunitions from an air-launched missile.[14]

Why It Matters

Day one showed what France intends to buy.

Day two showed how European industry plans to organize to deliver it.

Day three showed that the fleet is now a campaign issue. Every major candidate who came to Villepinte argued for more frigates. They differed on NATO, not on whether France needs more naval mass.

On the industrial side, the day’s news focused on adaptability. The stretched FDI, Fincantieri’s modular vessel and ST Engineering’s mothership all aim to fit drones, loitering munitions and mission modules into hulls that can change over their service lives.

The caveat remains.

Apart from the Greek supply-chain contracts and a small sensor order, most of what appeared on November 5 consisted of concepts, MoUs and letters of intent.

The candidates’ frigate numbers are pledges, not budgets.

The real test comes after the show closes: whether the next president funds 18 or more frigates, and whether these modular designs win orders.

[1] Capital, “Euronaval : Édouard Philippe, Bruno Retailleau et Marine Le Pen jouent leur bataille navale,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/euronaval-edouard-philippe-bruno-retailleau-et-marine-le-pen-jouent-leur-bataille-navale-1531617

[2] L’Opinion, “Euronaval : Edouard Philippe attaque Marine Le Pen et Jean-Luc Mélenchon sur l’Otan,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.lopinion.fr/politique/euronaval-edouard-philippe-attaque-marine-le-pen-et-jean-luc-melenchon-sur-lotan

[3] Le Parisien, “Présidentielle 2027 : Édouard Philippe veut « massifier notre armement conventionnel », l’effort de défense ne doit pas être « relâché »,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.leparisien.fr/politique/presidentielle-2027-edouard-philippe-veut-massifier-notre-armement-conventionnel-leffort-de-defense-ne-doit-pas-etre-relache-05-11-2026-HHHH2VXS2FG3JAZJCUVR3ZRHC4.php

[4] LCP, “À Euronaval, Marine Le Pen plaide pour davantage de frégates dans la flotte française,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://lcp.fr/actualites/a-euronaval-marine-le-pen-plaide-pour-davantage-de-fregates-dans-la-flotte-francaise

[5] NewsIT, “Euronaval 2026: Οι 10 συμβάσεις και τα 2 μνημόνια που υπέγραψε η Naval με ελληνικές εταιρείες για τις φρεγάτες FDI,” Nov. 6, 2026 (signing dated Thursday, Nov. 5), https://www.newsit.gr/ellada/euronaval-2026-oi-10-symvaseis-kai-ta-2-mnimonia-pou-ypegrapse-i-naval-me-ellinikes-etaireies-gia-tis-fregates-fdi/4815710/; see also Euro2day, “Naval Group signs 10 new contracts with Greek companies,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.euro2day.gr/en/article/2376870/naval-group-signs-10-new-contracts-with-greek-comp (which dates the signing Nov. 4)

[6] Naval News, “Naval Group Unveils a Larger, More Powerful FDI Frigate,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2026/2026/11/naval-group-unveils-a-larger-more-powerful-fdi-frigate/

[7] Zone Militaire / Opex360, “La DGA notifie à Naval Group et à MBDA un contrat pour doubler la puissance de feu des frégates de défense et d’intervention,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.opex360.com/2026/11/05/la-dga-notifie-a-naval-group-et-a-mbda-un-contrat-pour-doubler-la-puissance-de-feu-des-fregates-de-defense-et-dintervention/

[8] PortNews, “Fincantieri unveils six-crew modular naval vessel in France,” Nov. 2026, https://en.portnews.ru/news/399273/

[9] ANSA, “Fincantieri rafforza la cooperazione nella difesa navale con 5 accordi,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/economia/blu_economy/2026/11/05/fincantieri-rafforza-la-cooperazione-nella-difesa-navale-con-5-accordi_edad1a50-c69b-4ac1-a335-36d9c0b42ca6.html

[10] European Defence Review, “Euronaval 2026 – Manned brain, unmanned muscle: ST Engineering’s MRV makes its European debut,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.edrmagazine.eu/euronaval-2026-manned-brain-unmanned-muscle-st-engineerings-mrv-makes-its-european-debut

[11] The Maritime Executive, “Everllence and Babcock Sign MoU to Support Future Arrowhead 140 Programme,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://maritime-executive.com/index.php/corporate/everllence-and-babcock-sign-mou-to-support-future-arrowhead-140-programme

[12] Exail, “Exail joins Babcock’s ARMOR Force ecosystem to advance the Hybrid Navy,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.exail.com/index.php/fr/news/exail-joins-babcocks-armor-force-ecosystem-to-advance-the-hybrid-navy

[13] HGH, “HGH secures an order for three SPYNEL-F panoramic IR cameras from the French Navy for the French Maritime Gendarmerie,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://hgh-infrared.com/fr/hgh-secures-an-order-for-three-spynel-f-panoramic-ir-cameras/

[14] Naval News, “General Atomics Concept Eyes Vektrex in Air-Launched Missile,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2026/2026/11/general-atomics-concept-eyes-vektrex-in-air-launched-missile/

Russia has moved to classify the commercial records behind its energy exports at the same moment traffic on its Arctic shipping corridor is reaching new highs. The combination makes Russian oil, gas and shipping activity harder to verify just as more of it moves through northern waters.

What the Decree Covers

Presidential Decree No. 686, signed on 28 September, restricts the disclosure of specified information about Russia’s fuel and energy sector, as reported by Malte Humpert in High North News on 19 October 2026. Covered information is to be kept confidential, and its dissemination through mass media and the internet is restricted. The list includes:

• names, quantities and prices of export cargoes
• sellers, buyers, carriers, freight forwarders and insurers
• payment arrangements and transport documents
• shipping routes, transshipment points, destinations and maritime terminals
• the timing of cargo operations

Exceptions include disclosure by companies about their own activities.

The decree does not explicitly ban AIS transmissions, satellite imagery or commercial ship-tracking services, and it does not order vessels to hide their positions. Its significance, High North News notes, is that it can cut off the commercial and administrative records analysts use to check what tracking data shows. Gaps between observed ship movements and official export records would then have to be filled through satellite imagery, AIS histories, port observations and other independent sources (High North News).

A Wider Pattern of Opacity

The decree continues a trend. Last year Rosatomflot, the administrator of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), stopped publishing daily shipping logs and NSR permit data. More vessels are sailing the route with AIS switched off. The latest examples are the Chinese heavy-lift ships Bright and Glory, carrying sanctioned equipment for Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project. A U.S. Coast Guard cyber team presenting at DEF CON 34 described “dark-fleet” tankers using multiple AIS transponders, modified firmware and interference with antenna transmissions to disguise position and identity (High North News).

Norway sits on the front line of this traffic. Its Coastal Administration estimates the shadow fleet at between 900 and 1,500 vessels, and in 2025 it recorded 251 voyages along the Norwegian coast by vessels on Norwegian and EU sanctions lists. It has warned that aging ships, inadequate insurance and manipulated identities raise the risk of accidents and complicate emergency response.

Record Year on the Northern Sea Route

Meanwhile, traffic on the route is setting records, as Splash247 reported on 20 October. Norway’s Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL) counted 104 confirmed transit voyages by 30 September, compared with 103 in all of 2025. Estimated transit cargo reached 3.7 million tonnes, up 15 percent from 3.2 million tonnes for the whole of last year, according to gCaptain. CHNL projects the season could approach 150 transits and exceed 4.5 million tonnes, although that remains provisional.

Why It Matters

Moscow is not trying to make its ships invisible; satellites and coastal sensors will still see them. What it is doing is removing the documents that tie a tanker to a cargo, a buyer, an insurer and a payment. Those records are what turn a ship sighting into evidence for sanctions enforcement.

This puts the job of verification on Western governments and independent analysts. Even the NSR record is now counted from AIS data by a Norwegian research center rather than taken from Russian logs. For Norway and its Nordic neighbors, the result is more traffic, older and poorly insured ships, and less information about what they carry, in waters where an accident or a deliberate act would test emergency response and allied maritime awareness alike. Persistent surveillance of the High North, from space-based sensors to uncrewed maritime systems, is no longer just a military requirement; it is becoming the main way to find out what is actually being shipped.

The second day of Euronaval 2026, held on November 4 at Paris Nord Villepinte, moved away from the ministerial announcements of the opening day.

The focus shifted to how European industry will organize itself to build the hybrid fleet: shipyards pooling corvette work, national teams forming around seabed protection, and primes setting out how they plan to move drones from trials into production.[1]

Corvette Consolidation

The most significant industrial news concerned the European Patrol Corvette (EPC). Fincantieri, Navantia and Naval Group signed the consortium agreement for the program’s second phase, EPC2, at a ceremony attended by representatives of OCCAR, the European armaments cooperation agency. EPC2 completes the preliminary and detailed design of a common Modular and Multirole Patrol Corvette and moves the program toward a production-ready platform. The program began in 2019 under PESCO, and OCCAR has coordinated it since 2022.[2]

Separately, Navantia and Fincantieri signed heads of agreement for a 50/50 joint venture. It is meant to act as prime contractor for their national EPC programs and for exports, and to run common design, purchasing and life-cycle support as a full operating company, not just a coordination office. Naval Group is reported to be studying whether to join.[3] French participation has been uncertain since earlier in the year, when reporting suggested that Paris was stepping back from the corvette project after the Italian-Spanish alliance was formed.[4]

Protecting the Seabed

On Wednesday, seven Spanish firms led by Indra (SAES, UTEK, Aragon Photonics, Iqua Robotics, FYLA and Sateliot) signed an agreement to develop SIPRIS, a sovereign system for continuous surveillance of undersea cables and critical infrastructure. The planned system combines fiber-optic anomaly detection, sonar, uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles, aerial drones, underwater optical communications and satellite coverage, with Indra’s SEADEF architecture and IndraMind AI platform tying them together. Field testing is to begin immediately.[5]

From Experiment to Production

Naval Group used the day to set out its approach to hybrid fleets. A keynote on “Naval Warfare in the Era of Hybrid Fleets” was scheduled for 11 a.m., with Aurore Neuschwander, the company’s executive vice president for drones, autonomous systems and underwater weapons, and Admiral Xavier Petit, commander of France’s submarine forces.[6]

In a companion statement, the company said a drone has to be “navalized, hardened, integrated into the platform and combat system, and fully interoperable.”

It listed four product lines (Seaquest surface drones, Seagent underwater drones, the Steeris mission system and Sealken shipboard integration) and said a 17,000-square-meter drone and underwater-weapons center will open at La Londe-les-Maures by the end of 2027.[7]

Reporting published on day two pointed in the same direction. Vice-Admiral Éric Chaperon, now naval adviser to Thales, told Euronews that navies have become “much more focused on the near future and what can be delivered immediately.”

François Watteau of the DGA called the naval drone “the sword and the shield.”[8]

Saildrone said Norway’s Umoe Mandal will build its Surveyor craft locally for Northern European customers.[9]

Defense News also reported MBDA’s Tuesday briefing on Stratus RS, a high-supersonic strike missile whose range is meant to “far, far, far” exceed Exocet’s. MBDA is still waiting for a DGA development contract.[10]

Innovation and Politics

At the Euronaval Awards ceremony on Wednesday, six exhibitors were honored: Amphitrite (Transform), Fluiidd (Sustain), Gabler Group (Engage), Astraea Marine (SEAnnovation start-up), Cosma (GICAN special prize) and Globus Metal Powders (jury special mention).[11]

French politics also came to the show floor. Presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann toured the halls in the afternoon to make his case on sovereignty, and other candidates were expected on Thursday.[12]

Why It Matters

Day one showed what France intends to buy.

Day two showed how European industry plans to deliver it.

The pattern is consolidation and specialization: joint ventures to cut duplication in corvettes, national teams for seabed defense, and dedicated drone production capacity.

The caveat is the same as on day one.

Most of what was signed on November 4 is a framework: heads of agreement, consortium terms, field-test plans.

These are not production contracts.

Whether France stays inside the EPC structure, and how quickly drone centers and seabed-protection systems turn into fielded capability, will show whether Euronaval 2026 marked a real industrial shift or just the next round of planning.

[1] Euronaval, “Venue and opening times,” https://www.euronaval.com/practical-informations/venue-and-opening-times/

[2] Naval News, “Fincantieri, Navantia and Naval Group sign EPC2 Consortium Agreement at Euronaval 2026,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2026/2026/11/fincantieri-navantia-and-naval-group-sign-epc2-consortium-agreement-at-euronaval-2026/

[3] Demócrata, “Navantia and Fincantieri take a new step to launch their European corvette joint venture,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.democrata.es/en/economy/navantia-and-fincantieri-take-a-new-step-to-launch-their-european-corvette-joint-venture/

[4] Zone Militaire / Opex360, “Le retrait de la France du projet de corvette européenne se précise après l’alliance entre Fincantieri et Navantia,” Feb. 26, 2026, https://www.opex360.com/2026/02/26/le-retrait-de-la-france-du-projet-de-corvette-europeenne-se-confirme-apres-lalliance-entre-fincantieri-et-navantia/

[5] AOL / Escarlata Sánchez, “Indra leads Spanish alliance to shield Europe’s underwater infrastructure,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/indra-leads-spanish-alliance-shield-212907000.html

[6] Naval Group, “Euronaval 2026: Naval Group showcases its solutions to face high-intensity warfare” (press release with keynote schedule), Nov. 2, 2026, https://www.naval-group.com/sites/default/files/2026-11/20261102_PR_Naval Group showcases at Euronaval 2026 its solutions to face high-intensity warfare_VDEF.pdf

[7] Naval Group, “Naval Warfare in the Era of Hybrid Fleets,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.naval-group.com/en/naval-warfare-era-hybrid-fleets

[8] Euronews, “As maritime threats rise, France seeks to bolster Europe’s naval power,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/04/as-maritime-threats-grow-france-pushes-to-strengthen-europes-naval-power

[9] Defense News, “Saildrone expands its European market reach with manufacturing partner in Norway,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/11/04/saildrone-expands-its-european-market-reach-with-manufacturing-partner-in-norway/

[10] Defense News, “MBDA’s high-speed strike missile to have range ‘far’ exceeding Exocet,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/11/04/mbda-high-speed-strike-missile-to-have-range-far-exceeding-exocet/

[11] Euronaval, “EURONAVAL Awards: Découvrez les lauréats 2026,” https://www.euronaval.com/fr/temps-forts/euronaval-awards/; ceremony timing from Euronaval press kit, https://www.euronaval.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/DP-Euronaval-2026-EN-191026_compressed.pdf

[12] Le Parisien, “« Ça se met lentement en route » : au salon Euronaval à Villepinte, le début de campagne présidentielle poussif de Raphaël Glucksmann,” Nov. 4, 2026, https://www.leparisien.fr/elections/presidentielle/ca-se-met-lentement-en-route-au-salon-euronaval-a-villepinte-le-debut-de-campagne-presidentielle-poussif-de-raphael-glucksmann-04-11-2026-DIWMTYPTYVGSBO7AB2HGEMJRPE.php; Euronews, Nov. 4, 2026 (see note 8)

The Republic of Korea Army plans to rebuild how it guards the front line, replacing soldiers on the fence with sensors, robots and drones, and cutting the guard force to about a third of its current size by 2040.

The plan was presented on 19 October 2026 at Army Headquarters in Gyeryongdae, during the National Assembly National Defense Committee’s annual audit, and reported by Oh Dong-ryong of Newspim. According to the briefing, the army will “transform the manpower-centered GOP and coastal guard systems into an AI-based, science-and-technology-enabled guard system” through structural reform and upgraded guard technologies.

A Dedicated Guard Force

The reorganization comes in two steps. First, dedicated GOP (General Outpost) guard battalions will be formed at division level. The first two stand up on 1 October 2027 in the 5th Division on the central front and the 22nd Division on the east coast. Based on how those pilots perform, the army will then create GOP guard brigades at corps level.

Today, brigades under frontline divisions split up GOP sectors and rotate onto the fence. Under the new structure, a guard brigade in each corps would take sole responsibility for frontline guarding. Units in the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area) behind the GOP would stop rotating into guard duty and focus on training and combat readiness. To fill the gap, the army plans to add one new infantry battalion to each forward brigade in the FEBA area (Newspim).

Machines in Place of Manpower

The Ministry of National Defense plans to cut guard personnel in stages from about 22,000 now to about 6,000 by 2040. Surveillance will be carried by quadruped robots and reconnaissance drones; response by suicide drones, an integrated counter-drone system and fixed remote-controlled firing stations. The timeline set out at the audit is (Newspim):

• 2028: finish upgrading the current technology-based guard system
• 2031: convert coastal guarding to an AI-based system
• 2033: complete an AI command-and-control system for guard operations
• 2040: complete an “AI-based, manned-unmanned integrated” guard system, the target year of the next defense reform

The reason given is plain: the pool of available manpower is falling sharply.

Every Unit a “Smart Unit”

At the same audit, the army said every unit will become an AI-based “intelligent smart unit” by 2034 (Newspim). Personnel and logistics administration, tactical situation awareness, drone control and target processing are to be merged onto a single mobile device, alongside agentic AI tools meant to spot unusual conditions in unit operations and prevent safety accidents. Pilots at the 9th Division and supply depots were in place by 2024; the system expands to corps-level units in 2027, including one pilot each at a GOP and a guard post, before reaching brigade-level and remote units after 2029. Neither briefing gave a budget figure.

Why It Matters

This is one of the clearest cases yet of a frontline army redesigning a core mission around demographics. Korea is not adding robots to a manned line; it is planning a line that needs roughly 16,000 fewer soldiers, and freeing forward combat brigades from fence duty in the process.

The open questions are the ones that matter in a crisis: how the system performs against deception, jamming and saturation, who holds authority over remote fires along the most heavily armed border in the world, and whether funding follows the timeline. The 2027 pilots in the 5th and 22nd Divisions will be the first real test. For allied forces facing similar personnel limits, the Korean approach of using automation to take over persistent guard tasks while concentrating scarce soldiers on combat readiness is a model worth watching.

Russia’s reliance on foreign recruits to sustain its war against Ukraine is accelerating, according to figures released by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In the first nine months of 2026, more foreigners signed contracts with the Russian armed forces than in all of 2025.

The figures were presented by Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, secretary of the Coordination Headquarters, at the international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South,” and reported on 20 October 2026 by Oleksiy Leonov of Militarnyi. As of 1 October 2026, the “I Want to Live” project run by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence had identified 45,959 foreign nationals, from 151 countries and unrecognized territories, who signed contracts with the Russian armed forces since the full-scale invasion began.

A Steep Annual Climb

The year-by-year count shows how quickly the recruitment has grown (Militarnyi):

• 2022: 94
• 2023: 4,067
• 2024: 8,877
• 2025: 16,085
• January–September 2026: 16,168

The Coordination Headquarters estimates that Russia is now signing about 1,800 foreigners a month. The Russian military leadership’s target for 2026 is reported as 18,500; at the current pace, the year could close at around 21,500 new foreign contract soldiers.

Where the Recruits Come From

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus supply the largest numbers, though no country totals were given for them. The fastest growth is in Africa and Latin America. In the first nine months of 2026, contracts were signed by 1,449 Colombians, 699 citizens of Burundi, 530 Zimbabweans and 503 Peruvians. Ukraine has taken prisoner citizens of 59 countries who fought on Russia’s side (Militarnyi).

Recruitment methods described in the report include schemes aimed at tourists and migrant workers, promises of jobs and high pay, and, in some cases, intermediaries who take new arrivals’ passports and offer a choice between deportation, prison or a contract with the Russian army.

What Prisoners Say

A survey of captured foreigners by the “I Want to Live” project found that 46.7 percent signed to obtain Russian citizenship, 41.4 percent were recruited through enlistment offices and recruitment centers, and 28 percent did not know they would be sent to fight against Ukraine. Almost half (48.8 percent) were captured after being wounded. Notably, 79 percent said they want to return to Russia in a prisoner exchange (Militarnyi).

Why It Matters

The numbers come from Ukrainian intelligence and should be read as a count of identified contracts, not a complete or independently verified total. Even so, the trend is clear: Russia is turning a global labor market into a manpower reserve, so it can keep up its war of attrition while limiting how many of its own citizens it has to mobilize.

That has consequences well beyond Ukraine. Recruitment pipelines now reach into Latin America and Africa, drawing countries such as Colombia, Peru, Burundi and Zimbabwe into the war through their citizens, whether or not their governments want that. For Western planners, the lesson is that Russian manpower should not be judged by Russian demographics alone. Moscow’s ability to buy soldiers abroad, with money and citizenship, is part of its staying power. And the 79 percent of prisoners who want to go back to Russia suggest that for many recruits, citizenship and pay matter more than how they were drawn in.

The 30th Euronaval opened at Paris Nord Villepinte on November 3. Uncrewed systems were the main theme. Organizers expect 705 exhibitors, 40% more than in 2024, and the number of drone makers has tripled.[1] According to Reuters, European governments are moving quickly to strengthen their navies because they are alarmed by Russia and less sure of the United States as an ally.[2]

Opening the show, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said France had moved “from a logic of repair to a logic of rearmament.” She cited a draft 2027 defense budget of €63.4 billion, €6.5 billion more than in 2026, and announced new Aster and Exocet missile orders.[3] She also urged buying European, naming Greece, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands as partners.[4]

The ministry also signed a naval drone pact with industry. It is a framework for bringing the armed forces’ needs together with what industry can supply, and it is not itself a procurement. Specific orders were announced alongside it: a second deep-sea ROV from LD Travocean rated to 6,000 meters, eight Exail A18 mine-countermeasure drones, and a second, larger unmanned combat underwater vehicle from Naval Group.[5]

On the industry side, Naval Group presented SCX26, a drone-carrying warship it describes as a research concept.[6] It also showed the 37-meter Seaquest M uncrewed surface vessel, although the French Navy calls armed drones of that size “later increments.”[7] Other launches included:

• Saab’s CB90 CX, a boat designed for uncrewed operation from the start[8]
• BAE Systems’ Sea Tridon 40mm counter-drone gun[9]
• a one-way attack surface drone from KNDS and SeaOwl for port and ship protection[10]

Why It Matters

France is now treating naval autonomy as something to build an industry around, not just as a set of prototypes. The pact, the mine-warfare orders and the requirement for open architectures in supplier contracts[11] all point toward a hybrid fleet.

But there is still a gap between what was shown and what has been bought. Mine-countermeasure and seabed systems are being ordered now. Armed medium drones and drone-carrying combatants remain concepts or later steps.

[1]Le marin, “Euronaval. L’édition 2026 sous le signe de l’automatisation,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/defense/euronaval-ledition-2026-sous-le-signe-de-lautomatisation-avec-une-soixantaine-de-dronistes-presents-95c277ca-d786-11f1-b736-5b9907ef0b5a

[2]Reuters via US News, “European Naval Defence Industry Meets as Threats Drive Fleet Upgrades,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-11-03/european-naval-defence-industry-meets-as-threats-drive-fleet-upgrades

[3]French Ministry of Armed Forces, “Réarmement : Catherine Vautrin appelle les industriels à se mobiliser,” Nov. 3, 2026, http://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/rearmement-catherine-vautrin-appelle-industriels-se-mobiliser-linnovation-production-cooperation

[4]Breaking Defense, “France investing in naval power as military ambition is ‘to be feared’,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/france-investing-in-naval-power-as-military-ambition-is-to-be-feared-armed-forces-minister/

[5]Defense News, “French defense minister kicks off ‘pact’ with industry in rush to field naval drones,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/11/03/french-defense-minister-kicks-off-pact-with-industry-in-rush-to-field-naval-drones/

[6]Defence Blog, “Naval Group unveils SCX26 drone-carrying warship concept,” Nov. 2026, https://defence-blog.com/naval-group-unveils-scx26-drone-carrying-warship-concept/

[7]Naval News, “Naval Group Unveils Seaquest M MUSV as French Navy Weighs Armed Surface Drones,” Nov. 2026, https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2026/2026/11/naval-group-seaquest-m-musv/

[8]Breaking Defense, “Saab unveils new speed assault boat for Swedish Navy,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/saab-unveils-new-speed-assault-boat-for-swedish-navy/

[9]Breaking Defense, “BAE Systems launches new Sea Tridon naval gun series,” Nov. 2026, https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/bae-systems-launches-new-sea-tridon-naval-gun-series/

[10]Reuters via Baird Maritime, “European navies go shopping for warships and drones as sea threats multiply,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://www.bairdmaritime.com/amp/story/security/naval/naval-ships/european-navies-go-shopping-for-warships-and-drones-as-sea-threats-multiply

[11]Shephard, “Euronaval 2026: Faster frigates, evolving contracts and drone motherships lead opening conference,” Nov. 3, 2026, https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/euronaval-2026-faster-frigates-tougher-contracts-and-drone-motherships-lead-opening-conference/