"The Defence Secretary has announced today that four Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons, flying from the Amari airbase in Estonia, will join the NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission until the end of August," the statement reads.
According to the statement, the UK jets, pilots and engineers will be on 24/7 stand by to launch a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) “in response to any aggression directed from Russia, or others.”
“This deployment underlines our commitment to the sovereignty of the democratic nations of Eastern Europe,” UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was quoted in the statement as saying.
Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned NATO that the military buildup on Russia’s borders is provocative and could harm regional and global stability.
