UK sends troops, Apaches and rockets to Nato’s longest border with Russia ...Middle East

Hundreds of British troops have been deployed to Nato’s longest border with Russia, in a show of strength to Vladimir Putin.

The exercise, named Northern Strike, is currently underway in Finland, which shares a 832 mile border with Russia.

The British Army, deploying with thousands of Finnish and Swedish troops, will launch its cutting edge rocket system and use new AH64E Apache helicopters – the first time the pair have been used in combination on European soil.

It comes as Russia increases its military presence along the Finnish border.

Satellite images, published in the New York Times, appear to show an expansion of military infrastructure including tents, military vehicles, renovations to shelters for fighter jets and building work on a previously unused helicopter base.

Finnish defence leaders say they are monitoring the developments closely, and the country is building a 120 mile fence along part of its Russian border.

It has closed its border with Russia and denied entrance to asylum seekers from there, after accusing Russia of weaponising migration.

Major General Sami Nurmi, the head of strategy of the Finnish defence forces, told The Guardian that he expected more Russian troops to head to the border after the war in Ukraine ends.

Finland joined Nato in 2023, a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, abandoning its long held policy of military non-alignment.

The i Paper joined Finland’s first air policing mission as a member of the alliance, which took place in partnership with British jets last year.

The UK Government has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, after protracted cuts to the defence budget and shrinking personnel numbers.

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said that the UK’s contribution to the exercise demonstrates its “unshakeable commitment to NATO”.

“From the skies over Poland, to the northern reaches of Finland, the UK is standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies in leading the way in defending NATO’s eastern flank,” he said.

British troops direct Apache helicopter as they deploy for a war drill in Finland. (Photo: The Ministry of Defence)

The exercise is part of a wider operation on Nato’s eastern flank, known as Razoredge, which involves 13 exercises in six countries, with 13 Nato allies.

In total, 6,000 UK personnel have been involved with the operation, along with British weaponry on land, air and sea.

Last week, The i Paper met British troops deployed in Estonia, as they drilled their response to a Russian attack.

West ‘needs to get its skates on’ and ready for Russia

The former head of the civil service has warned that the next 20 years will be dominated by conflict between nations.

Simon Case, who stood down as cabinet secretary in December, urged ministers to develop new means of launching Britain’s nuclear deterrence other than submarines, to avoid overreliance on a single system.

“It feels to me that we across the western alliance need to get our skates on and be ready,” he told The Times.

Last year, the head of the British Army said that the UK had three years to prepare to fight or deter a war.

General Sir Roly estimated that the war in Ukraine would be likely to reach “some form of conclusion” in the next “couple of years” and warned that whatever the outcome, Russia would emerge “wanting retribution for the support that was given to Ukraine” by the West.

But alongside expanding its military capabilities, top defence officials have warned that the UK public must also prepare for the possibility of conflict.

The Strategic Defence Review – a wholesale assessment of the state of the UK’s forces – is expected to warn that the British public must change their mentality and prepare for war.

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The country that practises for war with Putin every year - and why the UK should too

The Ministry of Defence is reportedly considering establishing a Second World War-style Home Guard to protect British power stations, telecom sites and airports.

Last year, the outgoing head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, said the UK should train a voluntary “citizen army” prepared for future conflict, warning that an increase in reserve forces alone “would not be enough”.

Former senior officer General Sir Richard Barrons went further, saying that conscription could be necessary.

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