By Lucy Caulkett-
Britain has joined the biggest military deployment since the cold war, as it deploys troops, tanks and jets to Estonia in an attempt to keep what it considers to be unrestrained Russian attacks in check.
The UK and Romanian forces are also set to join American troops in Poland.
In the biggest military build-up in Eastern Europe since the Cold War, RAF planes have begun patrolling Romanian airspace for the first time.
The massive build up is aimed at stopping Moscow taking over or undermining its former Eastern European satellites as it has with Crimea and Ukraine.
More troops will be sent to the Baltic states and eastern Poland early next year backed by Nato’s 40,000-strong rapid reaction force.
France, Denmark, Italy and other allies are also scheduled to join the four battle groups led by the United States, Germany, Britain and Canada to go to Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, with forces ranging from armoured infantry to drones.
The military build up comes following revelation from Russia unveiling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile – Satan 2 – capable of obliterating the UK. Russia is said to have launched an RS-18 ballistic missile today aimed at testing whether it could defeat U.S systems.
The military step up is seen as an expression of concern from a number of Nato states that they may be hit by President Putin. However, those fears are not backed by any strong evidence but based on intuitive concerns.
The alliance’s build-up will see 800 UK troops deployed to Estonia for six months from May. They will be relieved by soldiers from another Nato nation to keep up a continuous presence.
Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, said the British mission would incorporate Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior vehicles and hand-held drones.
‘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,’ the defence secretary said, from the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
They all better tread carefully in this exercise. It may be necessary, but also dangerous.