Nato paratroopers train for a confrontation with Russia

The Parachute Regiment and US Airborne Division will play a key role in European defence.

- Kim Sengupta

The paratroopers floated down after springing out of the C-17 Globemaster aircraft under a deep blue sky into swirling winds. They descended a thousand feet into a vast barren field before regrouping under treeline cover for the mission ahead.

The air assault by British and American forces is preparing troops for frontline combat as part of Nato’s largest ever exercise since the end of the Cold War, aimed at confronting Russia in a European security landscape fractured by the Ukraine War.

Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade and the US’s 82nd Airborne Division will be part of a rapid reaction force if the confrontation between the West and the Kremlin spirals into open conflict. More than 90,000 troops are engaged in military drills in seven countries ranging from the Baltic to the Balkans in preparation for this dire scenario unfolding.

After being pushed back following the initial invasion, Russian forces are on the offensive in the Donbas in Ukraine and attempting to open another front towards Kharkiv. Five villages have fallen near the country’s second city, with artillery and airstrikes hitting 30 other towns and villages.

In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged: “It is possible that Russia will make further advances in the coming weeks.” But he insisted that a new arms package being delivered to Kyiv after being passed by the US Congress would prevent any major breakthroughs.