NATO multinational battalion launches military exercises in Estonia

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The NATO multinational battalion's Bold Dragon military training is being held in Estonia, with the allied soldiers getting their first experience maneuvering in the country's landscape, according to the Estonian Defense Forces.

"The Bold Dragon exercise began at the Defense Forces Central Range with the participation of the NATO multinational battalion stationed in the country and the 1st infantry brigade of the Defense Forces. The maneuvers are aimed at training a new rotation of allied soldiers from the NATO battle group to take action in the Estonian landscape," the statement read.

NATO battalion commander Ru Streatfeild stated that the coming days will demonstrate the capabilities of the UK, French, and Danish units.

"Eventually [these divisions] must become an effective instrument of the 1st Estonian infantry brigade, which includes the battalion," he added.

The drills also include Belgian and British air defense F-16 fighter jets and Eurofighters, as well as the British reconnaissance helicopters Wildcat.

On request, the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016 ruled out the deployment of rotational NATO Enhanced Forward Presence forces in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. In 2017, a battle group of 1,200 soldiers was stationed in the Estonian military town of Tapa. The multinational battalion is led by the United Kingdom, with rotational French and Danish forces serving there.

Russia has for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's eastward expansion, which happened alongside an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.