RAF jets intercept Russian military aircraft during Baltic mission

 

The RAF has released footage and photographs of fighter jets from RAF Lossiemouth intercepting Russian aircraft.

Air force crews were deployed to Estonia to help patrol Nato airspace over the course of four months, during which they intercepted 50 Russian aircraft.

The RAF personnel used "zombie" as their codeword for a Russian plane acting suspiciously.

The mission, called Operation Azotie, came amid heightened tensions between Nato-member countries and Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Latvia brings down World War Two memorial

 

Latvia's parliament has voted to remove all remaining Soviet statues and plaques.

The country has joined Estonia in bringing down World War Two memorials in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Demolition machinery was used to remove the 79-metre (259-foot) monument.

'What is stopping us becoming Ukraine 2.0?': The Estonian women preparing for war

 

Kyri Evangelou Leeni Linna Katie Lamborn, Source: The Guardian

In the months since the invasion of Ukraine, Estonians, who share a border with Russia, are increasingly concerned about potential Kremlin aggression. Despite the threat being low, more than 1,000 ordinary women have volunteered to join the Women's Defence Organisation since the conflict began. Car mechanic Mari Klandorf is one. She now spends her weekends training in first aid, guerrilla warfare and firearms and says: 'Russia might not be coming tomorrow, or the next day, but I want to be prepared.' The Guardian's Kyri Evangelou reports.

Estonia: Going on a Bear Hunt

How would Estonia and its NATO allies respond should the small Baltic state be invaded by Russia?

Russia says that no more than 12,700 of its troops will be participating in what are purely defensive exercises; NATO officials say the real number of Russian military personnel involved could reach 100,000 and are part of a muscular display of firepower aimed at unsettling some of the more vulnerable members of the Western alliance. 

It's a grumbling dispute over war games being staged along Russia's northwestern borders this September, that hasn't yet become a full-blown quarrel, but can perhaps be seen as a sign of the times.

Armies the world over routinely send their troops on exercise; checking out the fighting skills, battle-readiness and tactical nous of their forces, playing with new equipment and putting such things as command structures, supply lines, medical backup and interservice cooperation to the test. What, after all, is the point of having armed forces if they don't train and practise and you don't know whether or not they can do what they are designed for?