UK will double the number of troops in Estonia as part of NATO mission

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain will double the size of the British force in Estonia as part of a NATO deployment and will send equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, to the country amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Estonia, once ruled from Moscow, has been a member of NATO since 2004, in contrast to Ukraine, which has seen Russian mass more than 100,000 Russian troops on its border.

Britain already leads a NATO battlegroup in Estonia with 900 personnel. The Ministry of Defence refused to provide the exact figure for how many British troops will be deployed to Estonia.

The United States and Britain have warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent while Moscow has denied the accusations and accused Western nations of spreading lies to distract from their own aggressive acts.

"Alongside our NATO Allies, we are deploying troops and assets on land, sea and air to bolster European defences in response to the build-up of Russian military forces on the border of Ukraine," British defence minister Ben Wallace said in a statement.

"NATO and our allies have been clear that an invasion of Ukraine will be met with severe consequences."

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