BRITAIN will deploy RAF fighter jets to Poland as part of a new Nato operation following Vladimir Putin’s aggressive drone incursion.
Sir Keir Starmer said he would provide “further air defence over Poland” following Russia’s drone breach over the defence pact’s airspace last week.
PAThe UK will deploy RAF jets to Poland[/caption]
PAKeir Starmer has announced he will deploy RAF jets to Poland[/caption]
AFPRussian President Vladimir Putin launched drone attacks into Nato members last week[/caption]
Russia flew drones into Romania on Saturday after launching several into Poland on Wednesday
The Prime Minister also warned his allies to pay attention to Mad Vlad’s terrifying airspace violations in both Poland and Romania.
He said: “The wrong thing to do would be to ignore this increased aggression from Putin, from Russia.”
On Wednesday, Russian drones “on a direct path” to a Nato base in Poland were shot down – forcing the alliance to trigger Article 4, one below the threshold for war.
And in another brazen move on Saturday, the Russian tyrant then deployed drones into Romania, prompting Nato to scramble F-16s in response.
Polish PM Donald Tusk said the invasion into his country took Warsaw “closest to conflict since WW2”, while Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the second breach as an “expansion of war“.
Confirming the RAF deployment to Poland on Monday, Sir Keir added: “You saw only a few weeks ago the bombing of the British Council in Kyiv, the attacking of the EU embassy, and the direct hits on the Council of Ministers in Kyiv itself.”
He warned: “This wasn’t a one-off.”
Highlighting the impending threat from Putin, Starmer said: “It’s absolutely clear that the Russians are ramping up the aggression.
“It’s very important that, with our Nato allies, we respond appropriately to that and that’s what we’re doing today.”
The RAF Typhoons will join allied forces from Denmark, France and Germany to reinforce Nato’s frontier, the Ministry of Defence said.
The steadfast deployment comes after Russia‘s ambassador in London was summoned by the Foreign Office on Monday over Moscow‘s “unprecedented violation” of Nato airspace.
Sir Keir also vowed to send more boots on the ground to Nato’s eastern border last week following the drone attack on Poland.
On Monday, Moscow said any attempt by the West to shoot down Russian drones in Ukraine would lead to a full-blown war between Nato and Russia.
The terrifying announcement came after Poland called for a no-fly zone over parts of Ukraine.
Warsaw demanded that allied forces start shooting down Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine – a plan strongly supported by Kyiv.
APUkrainian soldiers of 43rd artillery brigade fire by 2s7 self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions[/caption]
The UK has also vowed to send more troops to Poland to beef up Nato’s border
But the Kremlin hit back by threatening to launch a full-blown war against the West if its drones were attacked.
Last week’s attack on Poland marked the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Nato have directly engaged with Putin’s forces.
Warsaw also confirmed Nato troops would be deployed to the country following Russia’s reckless drone incursions.
Polish authorities said they had deployed helicopters and aircraft to combat Russian drones close to the border over the weekend.
The country’s military announced on X that they were on their “highest level of alert” alongside allied aircraft.
APRussia has continued to launch attacks on Ukraine[/caption]
ReutersFire and smoke rise in the city after Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv[/caption]