Prince Williams sends strong message from tank near Russian border

Prince Williams on Friday, March 21, paid a royal visit to the UK troops in Estonia.

It may have been termed a royal visit, but the Prince did not appear in royal regalia or a royal car.

The Prince was seen in a picture, in a tank near the Russian border.

BBC tags his visit as one with a message that is most direct.

The UK troops are reportedly in Estonia, defending the Baltic state from the threat of Russia.

This deployment is regarded as one of the British Army’s biggest operational deployment overseas.

On Friday, in a freezing cold, mud-churned military training area, the prince saw the soldiers.

He also saw the military equipment guarding Nato’s eastern flank.

The prince, in military uniform,  was sending a signal about the UK’s commitment to deter any aggression from Russia.

He was peering from a Challenger 2 tank and then an armoured fighting vehicle.

During his two-day trip to Estonia, Prince William visited some of the 900 British troops in this multinational force.

These troops included soldiers of the Mercian regiment of which the prince is colonel-in-chief.

He saw forces at the military training grounds at Tapa Camp – part of Operation Cabrit.

The Operation is one in which a British Army Brigade is held at readiness.

The intention is to secure Nato’s “collective security and defence” in this vulnerable Baltic region.

This is what deterrence to Russia looks like on the ground, and the base shows how much the balance of power can shift.

Before Estonia regained its independence in 1991, this had been a base for Soviet air defences.

The MIG fighter planes attached to the Soviet air defences are poised to take on the West.

Now the positions are reversed, with Estonian troops and their Nato allies training here to prevent a Russian incursion.

As well as riding in a Challenger 2 tank, the prince saw a Warrior armoured vehicle.

He also saw a French Griffon fighting vehicle, a multiple launch rocket system.

The prince saw a Trojan vehicle for clearing obstacles and the prince drove an Archer mobile artillery system.

The war in Ukraine has shown how fast the technology of combat is changing.

On Thursday the prince saw a hydrogen-powered drone, on a visit to designers in Estonia’s capital Tallinn.

Hundreds of local Estonians waited in the cold to meet the prince in Tallinn, lining the railings to shake his hand or to take a selfie.

He was warmly welcomed to this small, tech-savvy country, which increasingly relies upon its allies.

Estonia has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, sharing a border with Russia.

It had also been under Soviet rule in the past.

All around the capital there are Ukrainian flags flying alongside the Estonian blue, black and white tricolour.

Many Ukrainian families have taken refuge in Estonia.

During a visit to a school in Tallinn for Ukrainian child refugees, Prince William praised Ukraine’s strength.

“The Ukrainian resilience is everywhere,” Prince William told the students.

“You have a very good spirit, very good souls, it’s very important.”

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