MORE than 8,000 troops including British and US Marines have massed near the Russian border.<\/p>\n
About 700 members of the British Royal Marines have joined thousands of troops from the US and Norway for joint military exercises in Vladimir Putins back yard. <\/p>\n
The battalions are practicing for Arctic war in temperatures as low as -10C. <\/p>\n
But more than 300,000 Russian troops are waiting nearby sparking fears the war gams could spark a real conflict. <\/p>\n
YOUTUBE\/TWITTER\/US ARMY EUROPE <\/p>\n
YOUTUBE <\/p>\n
Russian Marines attached to the Admiral Tributs anti-submarine ship put on a terrifying display during a rare stop in Manila. Hitting each other with burning logs, smashing breeze blocks across their stomachs with sledge hammers: are they the most terrifying soldiers in the world? <\/p>\n
1 \/ 10 <\/p>\n
A marine has breezblocks broken across his stomach. <\/p>\n
The 10-day drill dubbed Joint Viking involve fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft as well as ground troops. <\/p>\n
The elite military units will simulate war in the most extreme conditions in Finnmark a region at the frozen northern tip of Norway. <\/p>\n
Eleven NATO countries have sent 4,000 troops to Lithuania to participate in this years Iron Sword exercises. <\/p>\n
1 \/ 36 <\/p>\n
Members of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade prepare a simulated attack <\/p>\n
Mock battles will take place across 80 square miles of mountains and forests. <\/p>\n
NATO wants to show it could protect its member Norway which has a border with Russia. <\/p>\n
TWITTER\/US ARMY EUROPE <\/p>\n
Spooked Norway has already reinforced its eastern border to ward off an invasion by Putin. <\/p>\n
The Scandinavian country has reportedly informed Moscow of the Joint Viking war games, possibly in a bid to prevent the exercises spiralling into a hot war or as a warning to the Russian strongman leader. <\/p>\n
TWITTER\/US ARMY EUROPE <\/p>\n
TWITTER\/US ARMY EUROPE <\/p>\n
NATO troops took part in the Swift Response-16 exercise, which is one of the premier military crisis response training for multi-national airborne forces in the world. <\/p>\n
1 \/ 12 <\/p>\n
Polish troops land with parachutes at the military compound near Torun, central Poland as part of the NATO Anaconda-16 military exercise <\/p>\n
Russia held similar drills near Norways border last September. <\/p>\n
NATO which has been warned Russia could overrun Eastern Europe in just 60 hours is sending 4,000 troops, planes, tanks and artillery to the Baltic states and Poland to stop a Russian invasion. <\/p>\n
But Putin has countered by sending nuclear-capable missiles to Russias Kaliningrad territory it holds in Europe between Poland and Lithuania. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read this article:<\/p>\n
WW3: NATO troops mass near Russian border to prepare for ... - Daily Star<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MORE than 8,000 troops including British and US Marines have massed near the Russian border. About 700 members of the British Royal Marines have joined thousands of troops from the US and Norway for joint military exercises in Vladimir Putins back yard Continue reading