Nato has received military supplies from British ships to help reinforce security in the Baltic Sea during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Royal navy vessels delivered equipment and vehicles to battleships stationed in Estonia, a country which has been placed on heightened alert by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
British servicemen have also conducted navigation patrols and led exercises alongside ships and aircrafts from six Joint Expeditionary Force nations.
Major General Jim Morris, who led the joint force, said had “never been a more important time” to carry out the tasks.
Some in Estonia, a member of Nato, fear Mr Putin could one day turn his attention aunch an attack on it under the guise of defending the 300,000 (some 23 per cent) Russian speakers in the country.
The Baltic Sea is also strategically vital in ensuring stability as well as the freedom to navigate the area since the war broke out.
The delivery comes as the UK doubled its personnel in both Estonia and Poland.
HMS Northumberland and sister ship HMS Richmond worked with warships from Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to deliver Nato supplies.
The UK’s new RAF Poseidon P8A submarine hunter aircraft also practised working with the ships to spot enemy vessels.
“Activities such as these in the Baltic Sea are routine business for us and our JEF partners, in one of our principal areas of geographical interest,” Maj Gen Morris said.
“Given the current level of aggression being displayed by Russia, there has never been a more important time to ensure that freedom of navigation is maintained in the Baltic Sea.”
Joe Biden this week warned Russia that Nato “would respond” if Putin’s forces used chemical weapons in Ukraine, although he did not elaborate on what that meant.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, has urged western nations to provide stronger military support for its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Several countries have promised to supply more anti-armour and anti-aircraft missiles as well as small arms but Kyiv said it urgently also needed tanks, planes and anti-ship systems.
