Ready for action
TROOPS attack an abandoned block of flats being occupied by an opposing force, as Royal Welsh soldiers under take war games on the Russian frontline.
Photographer, Sergeant Siim Teder from the Estonian Defence Force captured the moment personnel from the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup conducted urban training.
The training took place in a real village called Varstu in the south of Estonia and the exercise saw the troops attack the abandoned block.
This block was next to three more inhabited by residents of the village who watched events unfold.
It comes after soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh were deployed to Estonia last October, as part of the UK’s commitment to NATO allies in Europe, standing ready to defend in the face of any potential aggression.
Taking over from 5th Battalion The Rifles, which has been in the country since March, 400 Royal Welsh soldiers arrived after departing from their Lucknow Barracks base in Tidworth, Wiltshire. They will be part of an 800-strong UK presence.
They now lead the multinational Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup, supported by the King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery as well as soldiers from France and Denmark.
The battlegroup is part of the 1st Estonian Infantry Brigade.
The arrival of the Royal Welsh coincides with the second in a series of visits from four RAF Typhoons to Estonia, ready to train and work with UK personnel on the ground as well as NATO allies.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “Nobody should be in any doubt of our commitment to the security of Europe through NATO in the face of Russian belligerence.
“In the face of intensifying threats, the UK has stepped up across Europe, with soldiers and tanks, typhoons and troops deployed from Estonia to Romania.
“Our Enhanced Forward Presence is a strategic tripwire that we will maintain on an enduring footing.”
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Owain Luke added: “Having completed a demanding period of training in the UK and Canada, we are delighted to be in Estonia.
“We now look forward to training and operating with the 1st Estonian Infantry Brigade and our French and Danish allies as part of NATO’s wider defensive posture across the Baltic States and Poland.”