War in Ukraine: Britain sent 8,000 troops to Eastern Europe and tensions with Russia grew

At least 8,000 British troops, as well as tanks, armored vehicles and artillery, will be sent to European countries, in one of the largest deployment since the Cold War.

The British Army will conduct exercises in countries such as Finland and North Macedonia to show how it has become modern. a “deadly, agile and global force”said the Ministry of Defense.

The movement occurs in response to the war in Ukraine, to Russia’s aggression, within the framework of NATO.

Concern in the EU

But they are decisions widely advertised concerned with the European Union, which has their own time in this conflict, different from the British. Britain left the EU after Brexit but remains united through NATO.

Their positions and those of the United States do not necessarily correspond to the positions of France and Germany, which have the largest military forces and prefer a European army defending their interests. The French will participate in this NATO exercise.

They all hope that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not use Ukraine save her skin, when the Gray Report on his parties on Downing St will find out next Thursday and many assume he may be forced to resign. He was the first head of government to visit kyiv amid the conflict.

A tremendous workout

About 8,000 British troops are expected to join soldiers from NATO allies and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK -led security coalition, to summer exercises In the middle of growing tensions in Russia.

Ben Wallace, the defense secretary, said Europe’s security “never became more important.” He promised “a demonstration of unity and strength, in one of the largest shared deployments since the Cold War.”

Troops from Squadron B of the Queen’s Royal Hussars were deployed to Finland this week to take part in the arrow exercisewhose purpose is thwart the Russian invasion. They will be included in a Finnish armored brigade with troops from United States, Latvia and Estonia.

Next month’s “Hedgehog” exercise will involve the Royal Welsh battle group and the Royal Tank Regiment, with exercises planned on the Estonian-Latvian border with 18,000 NATO troops, including french and danish soldierspart of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, led by the British.

Hedgehog, the largest military exercise in Estonia, occurs every four years.

Army Field Commander Lt. said. Gen. Ralph Wooddisse that various units were involved, from light and airborne forces to helicopter and armored forces, supported by artillery, electronic warfareair defense, surveillance drones, engineers and logistics specialists.

“The scale of the deployment, along with the professionalism, training and agility of the British Army, will prevent aggression on a scale that not seen in Europe this century“, said. Other exercises will take place in Poland and North Macedonia.

Said Wallace Russia is “like a cancerous growth” in Ukraine that should be eliminated. Britain will do everything in its power to “pull the barnacle out of the rock” and make sure President Putin does not retain any territory in the country.

Western allies are sending heavy weapons and other equipment to Ukraine, believing that with enough support it can push the Russian occupiers away.

Let Truss return to the cage

Dr Neil Acherson was one of Britain’s leading historians of the former Soviet empire. In a letter to The Guardian newspaper on Friday, he highlighted the danger of British Chancellor Liz Truss ’hot speech against Russia, which not necessarily an expert on the subject. But he decided to put himself in the status of a hawk in battle.

“Can’t someone push Liz Truss back to her cage?” Ashcherson wondered.

In his speech on “British war aims” at the Mansion House, proposing to return Russia to its borders before 2014, he only mentioned Vladimir Putin’s painful dream of re-creating a fictitious imperial past (threatening Putin to Ukraine’s allies as Truss calls for “double down” in support of kyiv, April 27).

“But it wasn’t 1945. The war in Ukraine would not end with Russia’s unconditional surrender, the only terms on which Russia would leave Crimea. Perhaps will end in a chaotic stalematefollowed by shady diplomacy, ”reflects Neil Ascherson, who wrote solid books in the USSR and speaks all the languages ​​of the region.

“Crimea, which was casually moved from Russia to Ukraine at the behest of a dictator in 1954, remained very Russian in sentiment, even before the 2014 referendum. can be divided under UN auspices (to the inevitable anger of both communities), because Upper Silesia was divided by the League of Nations in 1921, ”Ascherson warned.

“Truss’s insistence on restoring former‘ territorial integrity ’borders to UK -backed states (Georgia or Ukraine) is to allow a bloodbath whether Georgia invades ‘lost’ Abkhazia or mass resistance if Ukraine tries to suppress Russia’s identities in Crimea, ”Ascherson warned.

Russia warns

Vladimir Putin’s government has warned Europe and its allies the dangers of providing heavier weapons to Ukraine and about the presence of Western advisers in decision -making power centers in Ukraine.

The Kremlin claims that by “injecting” Ukraine with weapons, Britain and its allies are threatened the security of Europe.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, responded to a question about comments by Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, who called on Western countries to increase their support, including by providing heavy weapons, tanks and fighter jets.

“By itself, the tendency to inject weapons, including heavy weapons, into Ukraine and other countries are actions that threaten the security of the continent and lead to instability,” Peskov said.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, issued a stern warning to Western countries and, especially, to the UK about encouraging Ukraine to invade Russian territory.

He said President Zelensky was “used” by the West and told him that stop testing Russia’s patience. “The aggression against Russia will not go unanswered,” he said.

“We want kyiv and Western capitals to take seriously the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry that further provocation leading to Ukraine to attack Russian facilities will be met by a harsh response from Russia“, Held.

“Advisers in Western countries who remain in Ukraine’s decision -making centers will not always be a problem for Russia’s response measures. We do not advise to constantly test our patience”, He alerted.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO general secretary, said the alliance was ready to support Ukraine in the long run in the war against Russia, including helping it move from any old Soviet -era weapon to modern military equipment.

“We have to be prepared the long -term”, He said at a youth summit in Brussels. “There is definitely a possibility that this war will last and takes months and years”.

Paris, correspondent

ap