Published Wed, Mar 23 2022 11:31 AM EDT
- The U.K. is the leader of NATO's presence at this military base and it has contributed with the highest number of soldiers — currently 1,600 troops.
- Colonel Dai Bevan, commander of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia, told CNBC that their day-to-day involves constant training.
- NATO has so far refused to send soldiers to Ukraine to avoid an escalation of the conflict with Russia, fearing that doing so would trigger a new world war.
TAPA, ESTONIA - French soldiers in Tapa military base.
Fred Marie/art In All Of Us | Corbis News | Getty Images
TAPA, Estonia — Just 70 miles away from the Russian border and an hour's drive west of Estonia's capital, thousands of NATO troops are on alert in case President Vladimir Putin decides to attack.
The NATO military alliance has stepped up its presence at the Tapa military base in central Estonia since Russia first illegally annexed Crimea back in 2014. Geopolitical tensions have become even more apparent since early February as Moscow deployed about 100,000 troops closer to Ukraine — ahead of invading the country later that month.
"Looking at that situation in Ukraine, [it] gives us greater focus and really gives us clarity on the importance of what we do here," Simon Worth, commanding officer of the U.K.'s Royal Tank Regiment, told CNBC.
The U.K. is the leader of NATO's presence at this military base and it has contributed with the highest number of soldiers — currently 1,600 troops.
"It's a defensive presence here, but we thought it would be important to reassure our Estonian partners," Ross Allen, U.K. Ambassador to Estonia, told CNBC about Britain's decision to have more troops in the country.
He added that the U.K. could decide to extend the current presence of these troops in the region.
Denmark and France have also sent soldiers to this base, about 200 each. In addition, 2,000 Estonian soldiers are permanently here — bringing a total of 4,000 troops on the ground.
It means that the Tapa military base is now at full capacity, with some of the soldiers having to sleep in tents.
Colonel Dai Bevan, commander of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia, told CNBC that their day-to-day involves constant training.
"To make sure we are ready to respond to any adversary that threatens either Estonia or the wider NATO area," he said.
Defense and military officials in Estonia do not think that Russia is due to attack any NATO country, partly because Russian troops have struggled to make quick advancements in Ukraine. However, the defense alliance is on high alert, particularly over potential cyber attacks as well as misinformation.
NATO has so far refused to send soldiers to Ukraine to avoid an escalation of the conflict with Russia, fearing that doing so would trigger a new world war. But it has nonetheless sent equipment to Ukrainian forces while also reinforcing its presence across all eastern Europe.
The latest data shows that Poland hosts the highest number of NATO troops, at 10,500. There, NATO's battlegroup is led by the United States.
The defense alliance has also sent more planes and ships to eastern Europe and has said it could do more if needed.
Speaking ahead of an extraordinary NATO leaders summit on Thursday, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the group is likely to send new troops to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
"I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea," Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday.
Watch our live stream for all you need to know to invest smarter.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks as he holds a news conference on Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Brussels, Belgium February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - NATO has no troops inside Ukraine and has no plans to send any into the country, the alliance's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, told a news conference on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"There are no NATO combat troops, no NATO troops at all inside Ukraine. We have made it clear that we don't have any plans and intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine," he said.
"What we have made clear is that we have already increased and we are increasing the presence of NATO troops in the eastern part of the alliance on NATO territory."
Ukraine is a partner of the Western defence alliance but not a NATO member.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by John Chalmers
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Senate approves bid by Sweden, Finland to join NATO
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution approving Finland and Sweden's request to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its seventh month, and the death toll continues to rise.
A claim circulating on social media claims NATO forces have been sent in to help.
"Putin is stuck: 10 thousand NATO Troops entered the territory of Ukraine!" reads the title of the Aug. 24 video.
The video garnered more than 40,000 views in its first week, along with a handful of Facebook shares. A similar claim garnered more than 80,000 views on Facebook in four days before it was deleted.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
Nevertheless, the claim is false. NATO has said it will not be sending troops directly into Ukraine to avoid conflict with Russia.
NATO will not send troops into Ukraine
Though the video's title claims NATO sent 10,000 troops to Ukraine, the video itself does not contain any mention of NATO troops entering Ukraine, and it does not provide any evidence to support the claim.
Because it's not true.
"NATO is not a party to the conflict and there are no troops under NATO command in Ukraine," a spokesperson for NATO told USA TODAY. "Since Russia’s invasion in February, NATO Allies have provided unprecedented military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine."
NATO countries agree to collective defense, and under Article 5 of the alliance's founding treaty, an attack on one ally should be "considered as an attack against all," according to the organization.
Ukraine, however, is not a NATO member country, although NATO promised to add Ukraine to the alliance in 2008 and then again in 2021.
Since it is currently not a member of the group, it "is not covered by the security guarantee in the alliance’s founding treaty," according to NATO's website.
There are currently 40,000 troops under NATO command in the eastern portion of the alliance in response to the Russian invasion, and another 300,000 troops are on high alert as of June, the NATO website says.
Under a section titled "Why Isn't NATO sending troops or closing the skies over Ukraine?" the organization explained that NATO considers its actions defensive, rather than offensive, and it has avoided doing anything that "would bring NATO forces into direct conflict with Russia."
NATO has helped deliver humanitarian and "non-lethal" aid to Ukraine, while many individual NATO countries continue to send weapons, ammunition and military equipment.
Fact check: False claim that US aid to Ukraine is 15 times more than Trump's US border wall
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed NATO countries for more support, and he has called on the alliance to establish a no-fly zone. His request, though, has not been fulfilled.
Enforcing a no-fly zone would "significantly escalate the war and lead to more human suffering and destruction for all countries involved," NATO explained on its website.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that NATO sent 10,000 troops to Ukraine. There is no evidence that NATO forces have entered Ukraine, and NATO has said it won't send troops there to avoid direct conflict with Russia.
Our fact-check sources:
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.