British forces join major military exercises amid rising tensions with Russia

British service personnel have taken part in a major joint military exercise against a backdrop of steadily rising tensions with Russia.

UK forces teamed up with partner nations from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) for Exercise Lion Protector 26, carrying out training across the North Atlantic, High North, and Baltic Sea.

In a notable milestone, Royal Marines trained alongside Danish troops on the Faroe Islands, executing amphibious landings and interception manoeuvres during their first exercise in the territory since World War Two.

This operation represents the newest stage of Lion Protector, following an August deployment that rehearsed maritime escorting along the Baltic Sea. It involved various JEF members, including Nordic states, Baltic nations, and the Netherlands.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is meeting with JEF counterparts in Keflavik in Iceland, with representatives from Ukraine and Canada also in attendance.

Talks are expected to focus on support for Ukraine, countering hybrid threats and industry co-operation.

They will also discuss Canada’s application to join JEF countries.

The meeting follows a fresh package of UK sanctions targeting the Kremlin’s war chest, “propagandists” and people accused of involvement in the torture of Ukrainian civilians.

Some 23 individuals and entities will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans, while eight ships linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” will be subject to trade sanctions.

The measures are aimed at maintaining economic pressure on Moscow ahead of the bitter winter months, which, in the years since its full-scale invasion began in 2022, have brought an escalation of strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.

Mr Streeting said: “The North Atlantic, High North, and Baltic are the frontline of the UK’s security, which is why British leadership of the Joint Expeditionary Force is so vital to our defence.”

He added: “From conducting amphibious landings on the Faroe Islands, to deploying a standing headquarters north of the Arctic Circle, our recent JEF exercises have shown how Britain is working with our allies to enhance Nato’s defence of the region in the face of rising Russian threats.”