This is the moment a French warship withstood a mine blast. France put her maritime fleet through its paces in preparation for what senior commanders said are “increasing threats” from Russia.

The 150 crew members of the La Fayette-class frigate Courbet were shaken when the mine was detonated at close proximity during an exercise to test the vessel’s resilience in actual wartime conditions. The so-called shock test is part of France’s innovative Polaris (Préparation Opérationnelle en Lutte Aéromaritime, Résilience, Innovation et Supériorité ) initiative, a series of high-intensity exercises originally launched by former Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Pierre Vandier in 2021. With the Russian threat becoming ever more apparent, Polaris radically changed Nato’s war gaming experience by introducing real and unannounced challenges, which maritime fleets are forced to counter and survive.