British tanks, troops arrive in Estonia as NATO strengthens east flank

British tanks have been arriving in Estonia as part of NATO moves to strengthen its eastern flank after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said Challenger 2 tanks and armoured vehicles from the Royal Welsh battlegroup have reached the Baltic state from Germany.

Around 1,000 troops and more equipment are due in the coming days in a doubling of the British military presence in the country, where Britain leads a NATO battlegroup.

RAF Typhoon fighter jets based at Akrotiri in Cyprus, supported by Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft, have completed their first air policing missions alongside NATO allies over Poland and Romania.

The Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent has been taking part in NATO exercises in the eastern Mediterranean with Merlin helicopters and RAF P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

They are due to be joined by HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, which set sail from Portsmouth on Friday.

NATO virtual summit

The moves came after a virtual summit of NATO leaders on Friday agreed to deploy elements of the alliance’s 40,000-strong response force to eastern member states amid fears they could be the next target for Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Alongside our NATO allies, these deployments constitute a credible deterrent to stop Russian aggression threatening the territorial sovereignty of member states."