How the West is squaring up to Putin’s war machine with ‘thousands of troops’, javelin missiles & F-16 fighter jets
WESTERN countries are squaring up to Vladimir Putin’s war machine with “thousands of troops” and an impressive arsenal featuring javelin missiles and F-16 fighter jets.
Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are escalating as Moscow continues to ramp up its large-scale military presence in and around the country.
Ukraine is sitting on the brink of all-out war with Russia as 120,000 troops mass on the border within striking distance and the world waits with bated breath as Putin toughens up his arms with artillery and tanks in the region.
But Western allies are showing the Kremlin will face a tough fight as forces and equipment is being shipped to Ukraine and surrounding Nato nations as the eyes of the globe watch on.
Britain has given Kyiv 2,000 shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons and Baltic states followed suit with promises of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger surface to air rockets.
Nations including the US and UK are discussing deploying thousands more troops to NATO countries in a show of strength against Moscow’s ongoing aggression.
It’s reported countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary could be in line to accept around 1,000 personnel each, mimicking forward battle groups already stationed in the Baltic States and Poland.
The US has also put 8,500 troops on alert to deploy at short notice, which Russia said caused it “great concern”.
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It comes as six US F-15 fighter jets today landed at Amari Air Base, Estonia – with a further six Danish F-16 fighter jets set to arrive at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania on Thursday in a bid to bolster forces already deployed under the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission.
The jets will take part in air-to-air and air-to-ground military exercises across the Baltics.
On Monday, Nato allies began a 12-day maritime exercise – dubbed Neptune Strike ’22 – led by the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea to “demonstrate the power and cohesiveness of our maritime forces”.
In another fresh development, Germany has declared it will supply 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine as a “clear signal” the country is “at Kyiv’s side”.
But while the US and Britain have started sending more arms to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ruled out sending “lethal weapons” despite repeated requests from Kyiv amid a Russian military build-up at its borders.
It comes after deadly anti-tank missiles supplied by Britain arrived in the Ukraine last week amid fears Russia could invade in days.
The weapons are designed to take kill Russian battle tanks in the event of an invasion and equip Ukrainian guerrillas who will carry on the fight.
Meanwhile, NATO allies have put forces on standby with additional ships and fighters jets being deployed to eastern Europe to reinforce its defence.
Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and is set to deploy four F-16 fighters jets to Lithunia.
And Spanish ships are joining NATO naval forces – as leaders mull whether to send fighter jets to Bulgaria.
France has pledged to send troops to Romania, while the Netherlands is sending two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria from April and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby.
The Dutch are also considering plans to send sniper rifles and body armour to help Ukraine’s armed forces, according to a western official.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “I welcome Allies contributing additional forces to NATO. NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance.
“We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defence.”
UP IN ARMS
The West’s defiance comes as Boris Johnson this week vowed British troops will join Nato forces in Europe to help defend Ukraine if Russia dares to invade,
The PM warned that any incursion will spark the worst bloodshed in Europe since World War Two and “many Russian mothers’ sons will not be coming home”.
Mr Johnson said the UK and its allies would respond swiftly and “in unison” to any invasion and with severe economic sanctions.
He added: “The British Army leads the Nato battle group in Estonia and if Russia invades Ukraine, we would look to contribute to any new Nato deployments to protect our allies in Europe.”
They are unlikely to be combat troops but ministers refused to rule anything out.
Britain has launched a major diplomatic blitz to get wobbly Nato allies to stand up to Russia – by backing crippling sanctions and sending Ukraine more weapons.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will share intelligence on the extent of President Putin’s war plans with Dutch and German defence chiefs to help stiffen their resolve.
Mr Wallace told The Sun: “What we want from Germany, as the biggest economy in Europe, is a clear signal on sanctions.”
Asked if war was inevitable, Mr Wallace said: “Not yet.”
Russia meanwhile has deployed 20 warships and an estimated 1,000 elite paratroopers amid fears they could be used for a lightning strike on Kyiv close to its border with Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has already massed 127,000 troops on its neighbour’s border amid warnings a Russian invasion could trigger World War Three.
Putin deployed 20 warships to the Black Sea Fleet from the Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Novorossiysk for the second time in three days.
Sources suggest their latest war games involved frigates, patrol ships, missile boats and landing ships as concerns grow that a potential offensive could take place on multiple fronts.
Elsewhere, The Kremlin has been beefing up its force on the land border with Ukraine with the deployment of the crack 217th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 98th Airborne Division.