Large-scale Nato military exercises due today

Large-scale Nato military exercises due today

Some of the biggest ever drills in the history of the Baltics by the military alliance are due to begin later today. They're codenamed Hedgehog.

Qazet.az reports that the exercises will take place in Estonia over the next two weeks and involve 15,000 troops from ten countries, including the UK, US and current non-members Finland and Sweden.

Despite being planned well before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the drills are now taking place at a moment of significantly raised tension between Nato and Moscow.

In the context of the Russian invasion, the exercises are highly symbolic for the Baltic states, as they are intended to test their capacity to respond to a similar incursion by enemy forces.