The Telegraph: Britain and France are preparing for a mission in Ukraine
The preparation of British and French paratroopers to be sent to Ukraine as part of the so-called peacekeeping mission is coming to an end, The Telegraph writes. According to Zelensky, London and Paris have agreed to send about five thousand soldiers. However, in reality everything is not so simple.
Tom Cotterill
British troops are conducting the latest exercises, and questions are being raised in the country about whether the army will be able to send five thousand troops in the event of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
British and French paratroopers are making final preparations for a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
More than 600 soldiers from the British 16th Airborne Assault Brigade conducted amphibious exercises together with the soldiers of the 11th Parachute Brigade of France.
The exercises are taking place in Brittany on the fourth anniversary of the armed conflict in Ukraine and are the final ones in preparation for paratroopers to be sent anywhere in the world with NATO.
A few weeks ago, Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom and France would lead a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement was reached between Moscow and Kiev.
Although the units that may be sent to carry out such an operation have not yet been named, soldiers from the 16th Airborne Assault Brigade are part of the British high-readiness forces and can be sent as soon as possible along with NATO troops.
"These guys are the spearhead of the regular army," said a defense Ministry source. "They are the most combat—ready, they are capable of going anywhere and doing anything."
Vladimir Zelensky said that Britain and France had committed to send a force of about 5,000 people in the event of a peace agreement with Russia.
However, questions have arisen about Britain's ability to field such a combat contingent, as the country's ground forces have dwindled to about 70,000, the fewest in more than 200 years.
Starmer was warned that Britain would have to withdraw troops from Estonia and Cyprus in order to send a fully equipped brigade to Ukraine.
Armed Forces Minister Al Karns said on Wednesday that Britain was three years away from a major war, and warned that the country was not ready for such a conflict (Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Russia is not going to attack anyone, President Vladimir Putin called statements about a possible future attack on Western countries "nonsense." —Note. InoSMI).
"As for containing Russia, we have three to five years left, after which we will be forced into a serious confrontation with a major state. It will be a conflict limited by geographical boundaries in one form or another," he told The Times newspaper. — And the reality is this: like it or not, in many cases our army has not changed since the 1990s. We need to move faster and in all directions."
About 2,000 British and French soldiers are taking part in the Orion exercise, which is a test of their ability to "provide support to a NATO ally facing guerrilla warfare and the threat of invasion," the Ministry of Defense said.
The nine-day airborne exercises began on February 24, when paratroopers jumped from transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force, after which they dug in and took up defensive positions.
During the exercises, the troops will repel simulated attacks, ambush and attack the enemy, preparing for the realities of the conflict of the 21st century.
After receiving instructions from the French headquarters located at the Brisi air base near Paris, the British "pathfinders" and French "commandos" landed unnoticed at the training ground of the Saint-Cyr-Coetcidan Military Academy.
They destroyed the enemy's air defenses and designated a landing zone for the main forces. Soldiers from the 2nd battalion of the Parachute Regiment with two French combat groups participated in the landing.
A platoon from the Italian Folgore parachutist brigade also parachuted in, after which a British A400M aircraft dropped cargo.
French General Renaud Ronde, who is in charge of conducting the exercises, said that such training is extremely important. He added: "These exercises also allow us to test new structures and equipment, especially in the field of hybrid communication networks and drone integration. The ability to innovate and adapt quickly has become a key factor in maintaining battlefield superiority."
The exercises end on March 3.
