British troops to bolster Ukraine’s neighbour as Russian invasion ‘imminent’

British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade have arrived in the Afghan capital of Kabul to assist in evacuating British nationals and entitled persons as part of Operation PITTING amidst the worsening security situation there.

Britain may send hundreds more troops to Ukraine’s NATO neighbours to boost their security forces amid fears of Russian invasion, a news report has claimed.

At present, Britain has 830 troops, tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery, engineers and air-defence and intelligence assets in EstoniaLink where it is leading a 1,200 strong battle group. According to the reports, around 300 French troops are also set to be a part of the battle group.

The NATO personnel presence could possibly be increased in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland after its member states held talks over expanding their presence in the region.

The source added: “If there was a NATO ally about to have Russian troops knocking on their doorstep then they [the force] would be there quickly.”

Currently, there are also 140 British troops in Poland as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence mission.

The comments come as Tobias Ellwood, chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, appeared on BBC Newsnight to discuss the threat of an “imminent” Russian invasion.

He said: “I think we’re going to see the endgame. We’re going to see Russia walk out of those talks [with the US] and claim they have failed.

“Putin has been running this show ever since NATO and the West said we were not going to support Ukraine militarily.”

He added: “Everything is ready to go. An attack is now imminent and the West is looking very, very weak indeed.”

On Wednesday, the White House warned that any attack on Ukraine by Russia would trigger a “swift, severe” response from NATO. US President Joe Biden said he believed that Putin would test western leaders and that the response would depend on the scale of Moscow’s actions.

He said: “It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and what to not do.

“But if they actually do what they’re capable of doing . . . it is going to be a disaster for Russia.”

(DAILY EXPRESS)