Britain sends tanks, drones and 800 troops to Russian border amid fears of all-out nuclear war
UK deploys troops, EU nation Lithuania buys anti-aircraft missiles and NATO places itself on war footing with Russia
BRITAIN is sending the biggest troop deployment on the Russian border since the Cold War amid fears Russia is poised to attack.
Hundreds of UK troops plus tanks, jets and drones are being sent to Eastern Europe to combat the rise of Russia, it was confirmed yesterday.
Fears are growing that President Vladimir Putin could be plotting to invade the Baltic states – which broke away from Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.
After Russia snatched Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have been boosting their armed forces and begging for NATO to beef up its presence to counter an invasion threat.
But the UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon today confirmed at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Britain would be sending tanks, drones and 800 troops to Estonia.
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Combat forces will be bolstered by Warrior armoured fighting vehicles, Desert Hawk bomb-hunting drones, and four Challenger 2 main battle tanks.
Mr Fallon said: “I am confirming details today of our deployment as part of the forward presence in Estonia next year, a full sized British battalion with light armour, Challenger 2 tanks, Warriors vehicles, French and Danish companies in support. That deployment will begin next spring [May].
“This is Britain stepping up in NATO, beefing up the reassurance that we are able to offer.
“Although we are leaving the European Union, we will be doing more to help secure the eastern and southern flanks of NATO.”
He confirmed RAF Typhoon war jets will police the skies around the Black Sea from a Romanian airbase next year.
“I hope this will provide reassurance for that entire region, certainly in Romania, Bulgaria, Black Sea generally and including Turkey,” he added.
Other powerful NATO members will also send troops to the Baltic states and eastern Europe.
Canada will send a battle group to Latvia and Germany will deploy soldiers to Lithuania.
Meanwhile, the US will send soldiers to Poland where it has stationed an anti-missile shield which Putin believes is designed to shoot down his nukes and render Russia impotent.
Earlier this year he threatened to destroy the shield, made up of anti-aircraft missiles, once it is fully operational.
Three weeks ago Russia moved nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania has agreed to buy 120 state-of-the art surface-to-air missiles from its neighbour Norway at the cost of €100 million (£90m).d Lithuania.
As well as going on a shopping spree for missiles – which also include Javelin mid-range anti-tank rockets – Lithuania is also calling up men into the armed services.
Even Germany is considering reintroducing conscription should tensions between the West and Russia raise the prospect of war.
It emerged yesterday that more than 300 US marines would be joining the Norwegian army on its border with Russia.
Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said: “This U.S. initiative is welcome and also fits well within on-going processes in NATO to increase exercises, training and inter-operatibility within the Alliance.
“The defence of Norway is dependent on allied reinforcements, and it is crucial for Norwegian security that our allies come here to gain knowledge of how to operate in Norway and with Norwegian forces.”
The build-up comes as eight Russian vessels led by a aircraft carrier headed down the North Sea and passed through the Dover Straits on their way to a mission off the coast of Syria.
Sources said a tanker supporting Putin’s convoy – which includes aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov – are booked to stop at Cueta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, just 20 miles from Gibraltar.
Last week an eight-strong Russian fleet steamed down the English Channel. And in recent days RAF jets have launched twice to intercept Russian war planes menacing the airspace around the UK.