In a display of strength, RAF fighter pilots have taken to the North Sea to join heavy US bombers in a demonstration against tensions in Eastern Europe.
British Top Gun Typhoons were joined by F35 Lightning jets and US B1 and USB52 bombers for a military exercise known as Operation Point Blank.
US air force stated that the mission had demonstrated their ‘commitment’ to cooperate closely with its allies and partners, in order to discourage any possible adversary from taking aggressive steps.
The exercise took place as a result of a Russian pair of nuclear bombers forcing the RAF into defending British airspace over North Sea.
The Typhoons were scrambled from Lossiemouth, Scotland, and Coningsby, Lincolnshire, along with a refuelling jet from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire as British troops were deployed at the Polish border amid a Kremlin-backed migrant crisis.
Two Russian Tu-160 White Swan’ bombers were seen entering the UK’s area of interest. The MoD did not provide further information, but photographs clearly show the RAF jets escorting them.
According to reports, two Kremlin aircraft were observed approaching Dutch airspace. They were then intercepted and flown northward into international airspace. Mil Radar.
Speaking on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he considered recent Black Sea exercises by US and other NATO ships as a serious challenge.
The United States and NATO allies have been conducting unexpected exercises in the Black Sea. This includes not only an extremely powerful naval unit, but also aircraft, and even strategic aviation. He said this in an interview to Vesti Russian state broadcaster.
As Putin supports a hybrid war using migrants as a means to create chaos along Poland’s borders, while simultaneously sending thousands of troops across the border to Ukraine in preparation for an invasion, this incursion was made with Europe at combat stations.
And Putin was warned against making a ‘serious mistake’ after America said satellite images of troops suggested Russia could be planning to invade.
However, Putin claimed that he was not involved in the migrants crisis near ally Belarus’s border to the European Union.
UK and US fighter jets and bombers took to the skies over the North Sea amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe (Pictured: U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, and Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s escort B-1 Lancer Bombers, assigned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas)
Two days earlier, RAF was forced to defend British airspace by Russian nu bombers (Pictured: U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles; assigned to 48th Fighter Wing and Royal Air Force fighters escorting KC-135 Statotankers to Royal Air Force Mildenhall).
On Wednesday, the US-UK exercise at the North Sea allowed crews to learn the essential drills for Air to Air refueling.
One of the rising tensions in Europe causes a fighter plane to be refueled midair during an exercise that the UK and US jointly conducted over the North Sea.
The flight track data for the RAF Tanker Voyager that left Brize Norton to assist the Typhoons was also available. Cologne was also used by NATO to circle Norway. Two Russian Tu-160 Bombers, which were manned by Russian Tu-160s, flew above the North Sea and then headed north to international airspace.
“I want everybody to know.” In the interview, he stated that we have nothing to do.
He stated that he hopes that Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus) and Angela Merkel (Germany) will speak about the crisis directly and that migrants want to travel to Germany.
Poland and Western critics have accused Moscow to having worked with Minsk in order to arrange the transfer of thousands of migrants at the border.
As tensions rose, British soldiers deployed to the Polish border between Belarus and Poland on Thursday.
A rapid military buildup was initiated by the EU’s border region due to an escalating migration crisis. Russian paratroopers arrived on the other side.
A small group of British soldiers will be supporting Polish forces in strengthening their border with Belarus. This is where up to 4,000 migrants from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have been gathering to try to reach Europe.
Belarus began to build camps for those who spent many nights sleeping in frozen forests without food.
Katarzyna Zidanowicz was the spokesperson for the Polish border guards operating in eastern Podlasie. She stated that “The problem’s scale is not declining.”
According to her, the Belarusian military had provided water and wood for the refugee camps at the border. She also said that they were preparing for an extended stay.
An additional 15,000 migrants may be found in Belarus heading towards the border. They were brought to Europe from the Middle East by President Alexander Lukashenko as a vengeance for EU sanctions.
Polish police announced Saturday that a body belonging to a young Syrian citizen was found near the Belarusian border in Poland.
Numerous migrants from the Middle East have taken refuge in frozen woods at the border of Belarus and EU States Poland and Lithuania. These conditions are not conducive to their crossing.
Many have died already, and it is possible that the remaining will be left behind as the bitter winter weather continues to settle in.
Podlaska police tweeted that a body belonging to a young Syrian male was discovered in the woods near Wolka Terechowska.
Police stated that they could not determine the cause and manner of death on the spot.
British troops were sent to Poland’s border during a Kremlin-backed crisis for migrants.
An RAF fighter plane intercepts a Russian military jet approaching a UK zone of interest.
Mil Radar reports that the Kremlin’s warplanes landed in Dutch airspace, but were then intercepted and seen headed north towards international airspace.
Moscow was a close ally to Lukashenko, and it has been charged with helping fuel the crisis.
The Royal Engineers reached the area and hundreds of Russian paratroopers leapt from military planes into Belarus.
They held tactical drills approximately 25 miles from the flashpoint border.
According to the Russian defense ministry, the two soldiers who died in the incident flew back home as an act of support for Lukasenko.
Tobias Ellwood, a Tory ex-defense minister, backed the Ministry of Defence’s show of solidarity with Poland.
He explained that the NATO states must act quickly in order to avoid being harmed by Russia’s threat. Countries with Russian borders will also need support.
Failure to comply with this directive would lead President Putin to be seen as weak.
“He could in fact invade Ukraine.” This is an indication of how weak and naive the West has become.
This week, America warned European leaders that Russia could invade Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has threatened to do so again.
This warning was made based upon satellite images that showed the presence of tens or thousands of Russian troops at Ukraine’s border.
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, stated that Moscow would make a serious mistake if the Russian 90,000. troops placed to march on Ukraine made such a move.
Tobias Ellwood was a former Tory defence minister who supported the Ministry of Defence’s display of solidarity towards Poland
He said this week to Kiev that Washington would continue its commitment to Ukraine’s security ‘iron-clad.
He stated that he didn’t understand Russia’s motives. But we do know that we’ve seen in the past – Russia mass forces on Ukraine’s borders, claim some kind of provocation by Ukraine, and then invade. This is what they did last year.
France called on Russia to end the migration crisis by using its relations with Belarus and warned of’severe consequences’ if Russia threatened Ukraine. Russia’s activity at Ukraine’s border was alarming, according to the EU.
Belarus stated that it was prepared to defend itself. It accused Poland for an unprecedented military build-up along the border. The 15,000 troops were backed up by air and tank defenses as well support.
Viktor Khrenin, Defence Minister, said that Belarusian Armed Forces are prepared to react to all attacks.
Turkey announced Thursday that no Iraqis, Syrians or Yemenis will be permitted to fly to Belarus from Turkey. Iraq announced that it will repatriate Iraqis to Belarus and also canceled direct flights.
The drills were held by Russia and Belarus just 20 miles away from a border crossing that thousands of migrants use. They claimed it was to test the readiness’ their troops.
A ‘small’ detachment of British troops, thought to be from Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, were also deployed to the Polish border to help beef up the defences, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.
Separately, US officials warned Putin about an attack on Ukraine. Putin was observed near the border assembling thousands of soldiers, tanks, and artillery pieces.
Ukraine’s defense minister said that Russia is waging “hybrid war” on Europe and claimed Putin was ultimately responsible for the Polish Border Crisis.
Russia, Belarus and Russia are conducting snap military drills at the borders of eastern Europe to prepare for an impending conflict. Washington has warned that Putin may be preparing to invade eastern Ukraine.
French ministers warned Russian counterparts about’serious implications’ in the event of an invasion by Ukraine and asked for a reopening dialogue between Kiev and Moscow.
Kremin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied these allegations and said that Russia “doesn’t threaten anybody” while calling fears of an attack against Ukraine a “hollow, unfounded attempt incite tensions”.
Peskov claimed also that Russia must protect itself against “increasing provocations” near its borders.
He referred to US Navy deployments in the Black Sea, and the increasing frequency of intelligence flights by NATO and the US.
Peskov explained that “We take steps to secure our security whenever our adversaries take defiant measures near our border,” he said. “We cannot afford to be indifferent. We must always remain vigilant.”
Poland sent 15,000 troops along its borders to assist with the ongoing crisis. Ukraine, however, has sent 8,500 soldiers across the border in eastern Ukraine to aid the fighting of a long-running war against Russian-backed separatist rebels.
Russia’s defense ministry stated that the drill was unannounced and involved paratroopers of both countries dropping on the Gozhsky Range, which is just 20 miles away from the Polish border. There, thousands of migrants have gathered to practice capturing bridges, as well hunting down, and destroying enemy patrols.
The drill was a response to the “buildup of military activities” at Poland’s border. 15,000 Polish troops are stationed there to stop migrants. Russia claimed it was to assess its troops’ ‘combat readiness.
At the same time, Polish defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak revealed that British military engineers have been deployed to help strengthen the border defences, amid warnings from all sides that the crisis risks spilling over into an armed conflict. A small engineering team was sent by the MoD to assist with this mission, according to the MoD.
They are most likely part of the UK’s current light cavalry unit stationed at Poland in NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. It also includes troops from the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.
Amidst the tensions, RAF Typhoons from Lossiemouth & Coningsby were also scrambled to escort two Russian nuclear-capable bombers which flew over the North Sea and towards the English Channel today. They were joined on the mission by a Voyager Tanker from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF said.
Sergei Shoigu (Russia’s defense minister) warned France that Europe’s military situation ‘continues deteriorate’ and criticized NATO’s ‘building its military presence near Russia’s borders.
Following a Paris visit by French officials, Shoigu said that Russia’s goal is to “increase predictability” and lower the chance of incident in the border area.
NATO stated Friday that it was monitoring any possible escalation of the situation at its member’s borders with Belarus. This comes after Russian and Belarusian paratroopers conducted joint drills close to the Polish and Lithuanian border.
The North Atlantic Council which represents the member states of the alliance stated in a statement that it will “remain vigilant against any further escalation or provocation by Belarus at the borders with Poland and Lithuania” and would continue to monitor the consequences for the security and safety of the alliance.
“NATO Allies” call upon Belarus to stop these acts, respect fundamental freedoms and abide by international laws.
Bloomberg reported that American intelligence sources told their European counterparts of an alleged Kremlin military operation to annexe Ukraine’s eastern region. This was similar to the 2014 annexation.
While the US refuses to reveal the details of any imminent attacks, satellite images have shown that there is a significant increase in the number of Russian tanks, troops and artillery close to the border.
Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus dictator) is being accused of forcibly forcing people to illegally cross into Poland. It was part of a calculated attempt to weaken the bloc.
Lukaschenko warned about the possibility of conflict on Thursday and charged armed groups from the Donbas of Ukraine with trying to transport weapons to migrants crossing into Poland in an effort to ignite fighting.
According to Wyborcza Polish Newspaper, “They are Kurds. And the Kurds have become militant.” They are desperate when Poles beat, tear, or torture them. A rifle and one gun are all you need to start an armed conflict.
Lukashenko also threatened to stop natural gas supply from Russia through Ukraine into Europe, though this threat was repelled by Moscow today.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Lukasenko hadn’t coordinated with Moscow prior to making this comment and also stated that Russian promises to fulfill gas contracts were ‘beyond question’.
Washington warns Putin as he assembles his troops close to Ukrainian territory. The satellite images, taken over the past few week, show large artillery and tanks camps in the region.
Ukraine claims that there are currently 90,000. Russian troops near its border. This is where the country has been fighting an insurgency for years in its eastern region by Russian-backed separatists.
This happened after Lukashenko, who spoke at Thursday’s meeting of government officials. He pondered: ‘We heat Europe and they threaten us… What happens if their natural gas is cut off?
“I recommend that the Polish and Lithuanian authorities think before speaking up.”
Russia’s Yamal Europe Pipeline runs through Belarus, and then into Poland. This pipeline accounts for about 20% of Russia’s gas transport capacity to Europe.
Around 25% of Europe’s energy requirements are met by natural gas. More than half the gas is imported from Russia, which has some of the largest reserves of natural gas in the world.
A few weeks back, European leaders tried to reach an agreement with Russia in order to boost supplies. Stockpiles were running low because of rising demand after the collapse of Covid.
Putin was charged by the EU with throttling natural gas flows as a tool for political negotiation to open a Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It is estimated that it cost the EU more than a billion dollars. The allegations were denied by Putin.
Despite tensions with Russia and Ukraine Belarus has been pressuring Europe to support migrants. It threatened to shut off gas supply to Europe by closing the Yamal Europe pipeline that runs through Belarus (pictured).
There have been concerns about Russian troops at Ukraine’s frontier since April of this year. Putin had moved approximately 100,000 soldiers, tanks and artillery pieces into the area without prior warning.
Later, he said that the exercise was intended to evaluate’military capability’. He then pulled some of those units back. However NATO warns that many of them remained at the front after the “exercise”.
Russia held further military drills on the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine’s east border and continued to move troops into the area.
Western powers closely monitored the drills, with tensions nearly spilling into conflict. One episode saw Russian warships firing warning shots at a British ship.