UK To Send 8,000 Troops To Drills In Eastern Europe - Defense Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2022) The United Kingdom will send 8,000 military personnel to Eastern Europe to participate in military drills in a move to demonstrate UK military contribution to European security amid Russia's operation in Ukraine, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday.

"The security of Europe has never been more important. These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the largest shared deployments since the Cold War," Wallace said, as quoted by Sky news, adding that the drills aim to "showcase the scale and significance of the British Army's contribution to the defence of Europe.

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Troops will be deployed in countries from Finland to North Macedonia, with dozens of Challenger 2 tanks and more than 100 armored combat vehicles, the broadcaster reported.

The UK army and other NATO troops will be trained to improve the ability of working together, "deterring Russian aggression in Scandinavia and the Baltic states," the UK defense ministry said.

The deployment is expected to reach a peak of about 8,000 soldiers between April and June, the report added.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces.