BORDER FORCE
British troops to be deployed on frontiers in show of strength
AROUND 8000 British troops are to be deployed in military exercises on Russia’s borders in a show of strength against Vladimir Putin.
The soldiers will take part in European training missions alongside NATO and UK Joint Expeditionary Force allies this summer.
They will take 120 British Warrior armoured personnel carriers, 72 Challenger 2 tanks and a dozen AS-90 artillery guns to countries including Finland, Poland, Estonia and
Lithuania. Tensions are rising in countries sharing boundaries with Russia.
The NATO wargames – codenamed Arrow, Hedgehog,
Defender and Swift Response – will take place until June in “one of the largest deployments since the Cold War”, according to the Ministry of Defence. Field
Army chief Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse said: “The UK makes a significant contribution to the defence of Europe and the deterrence of Russian aggression. The British Army’s series of exercises is fundamental to both.”
He added: “The scale of the deployment – coupled with the professionalism, training and agility of the British Army – will deter aggression at a scale not seen in Europe this century.”
War is raging in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow has supported separatist rebels since 2014 following its illegal invasion of Crimea.
US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for £26.5billion to bolster Ukraine, including £16billion for weapons and other military assistance.