GETTY The UK is set to send 800 troops to Estonia

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In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday, Michael Fallon said: "The UK will send 800 personnel to Estonia as one of four framework battalions to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, to which France and Denmark will contribute further troops". Last month, the UK promised to send an array of military equipment including drones, tanks and armoured vehicles - as well as 800 additional soldiers - to Estonia to join Nato forces already operating in the country.

The UK will send 800 personnel to Estonia as one of four framework battalions to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, to which France and Denmark will contribute further troops Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

At July's Nato Summit in Warsaw, the military alliance agreed to send multinational forces to Eastern European countries including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. The eastern European nations requested more Nato troops to bolster their defences against any potential Russian threat following Moscow's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014. Although Russia has repeatedly claimed it is not involved in the Ukrainian conflict, Nato remains concerned about the threat of Russian military intervention.

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY Russia recently claimed it would add new jets to its navy as both Nato & Russia bolster their forces

Nato recently accused the Kremlin of "aggressive military posturing" following the deployment of anti-ship missiles in Kaliningrad, which borders Lithuania and Poland. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin, responded saying: “Russia does what it has to do. "It has every sovereign right to take necessary measures throughout the territory of the Russian Federation.”

On Monday Nato's Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone, tried to quell fears that the military alliance and Russia could be on the brink of war by insisting Putin is "not the enemy". "Russia can develop and deploy its fleet to any areas, but NATO does not intend to stop it."

GETTY Nato has been bolstering its armed forces in Eastern Europe in recent months