Cambuslang soldier deployed on Exercise Hedgehog near Russia
Fusilier David Whyte, 18, is serving with the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) as part of a 2 SCOTS-led Battlegroup to Estonia.
The soldiers are joining thousands of other British Army troops as part of Exercise Hedgehog.
Read more: Visa rules leaving Ukrainian refugees in Glasgow 'unemployable'
(Image: Crown Copyright 2025)The exercise, running from May 9 to 24, involves 17,000 troops from 12 nations and is designed to test Estonia's defences and NATO's ability to respond rapidly to potential threats from Russia.
A former pupil of Cathkin High School in Cambuslang, David joined the army at just 16, training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.
He said: "I joined the army because it was something different, not sitting in an office.
"While at Harrogate, I enjoyed going on a battlefield tour to France.
"My proudest moments so far have been passing out at Harrogate and getting through the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick."
Exercise Hedgehog marks the young soldier's first overseas deployment with the army.
(Image: Crown Copyright 2025) David said: "It was something completely different getting on a military flight to get here.
"Sitting on a massive RAF plane was a bit different to getting on a Jet2 plane to go on holiday."
David's brother, who joined the army two weeks before him, has also been deployed to Estonia with a different company.
The 2 SCOTS regiment formed a battlegroup in the Nursipalu training area in south-east Estonia, where they conducted urban and woodland combat training.
The soldiers built trenches in the Estonian forest, similar to those dug by Ukrainian soldiers to protect against Russia's invasion.
Attacking forces made up of other NATO allies assaulted the trench positions using drones with simulated pyrotechnic munitions, blank ammunition fired by machine guns, and simulation grenades.
(Image: Crown Copyright 2025)
Read more: Call to build war memorial at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum
Exercise Hedgehog serves as a Forward Land Force (FLF) mission rehearsal, offering an opportunity for the FLF and allies and partner nations from across NATO to deploy to Estonia.
The UK's 4th Light Brigade Combat Team — known as The Black Rats — is leading the deployment.
Thousands of British troops travelled by road, rail, sea, and air, arriving in under 48 hours, demonstrating the British Army's ability to mobilise a large-scale force rapidly.
The mass transit of troops demonstrated the British Army's ability to quickly deploy a large-scale force to aid a NATO ally that borders Russia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss ceasefire conditions in Istanbul
MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) - The Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss the list of conditions for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine next week in Istanbul, its spokesman said on Friday, praising the U.S. role in mediating the talks. Russia has proposed holding the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2. However, Ukraine wants to see Russia's proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation to Turkey, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation would be travelling to Istanbul and would be ready for talks with Ukraine on Monday morning. "At the moment, everyone is focused on the direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations. A list of conditions for a temporary truce is being developed," Peskov told reporters. He said the details of the memorandum will not be published. Reuters reported earlier this week that Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards. U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said earlier on Friday that Russia's concern over the eastward enlargement of NATO was fair and the United States did not want to see Ukraine in the U.S.-led military alliance. Commenting on Kellogg's statement, Peskov said that Putin has been consistently conveying Russia's position on the inadmissibility of NATO's eastward expansion. "We are pleased that these explanations by the president are understood, including in Washington. And, of course, this is quite appealing to us in terms of the mediating role that Washington continues to play," Peskov said. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Putin spy ship is caught lurking near the Outer Hebrides during live drill on how to shoot down a Russian-style missile
A Russian warship has been caught spying on Britain's missile defences by the Royal Navy. Yuri Ivanov, one of Putin 's so-called research ships, was spotted lurking in waters off the Outer Hebrides during a live drill on how to shoot down a Russian-style missile. It is believed it was trying to watch the NATO exercise known as Formidable Shield, which involved the firing of a £1million Sea Viper missile at a target. The test, which involved HMS Dragon, one of the Navy's most powerful ships, was designed to simulate Moscow 's formidable hypersonic weapons. The Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile - with the Navy hailing the live drill as a 'huge moment'. HMS Dragon, a Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, then hunted down the Russian spy ship. It sent its Merlin helicopter up to collect information from above, until the Yuri Ivanov headed north back towards its home in the Arctic. Meanwhile on May 18, two other Navy ships - HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth - were sent out to monitor a Russian warship as it sailed through the Channel. Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, commanding officer of HMS Hurworth, said: 'Monitoring activity on the seas and seabed around the UK is one of the core roles of the Royal Navy's 2nd Mine-Countermeasures Squadron. 'This operation was all in a day's work for the ship's company who have shown great professionalism. 'We have kept a constant watch to ensure the security and integrity of the UK's critical sea-lanes.' Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark, commanding officer of HMS Ledbury, said: 'Escorting Russian vessels through UK waters is a vital demonstration of our unwavering commitment to national security. 'Whilst the Hunt-class is uniquely equipped for mine and sea-bed warfare, maritime security remains a crucial task that any Royal Navy warship is trained to undertake.' Wayne Slater, from HMS Hurworth, said: 'Driving the ship close to the Russian vessels has been a new experience for me as a helmsman. 'Everything has been safe and professional but we're all trained to make sure we can respond to any aggression or incident whenever non-allied warships are operating near UK waters.' Lieutenant Patrick Bingham, gunnery officer from HMS Hurworth, added: 'As a former merchant navy officer, I know how important freedom of the seas is to the lifeline of goods and raw materials upon which our economy depends. 'The Royal Navy has been a guardian of the freedom of the seas for centuries and I am privileged to have contributed to this mission.'
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Russia's concern over NATO's expansion is FAIR, Donald Trump's envoy to Ukraine says
In a startling intervention, Donald Trump 's envoy to the Ukraine has declared that Russia 's long-standing gripes over NATO expansion are fair. Asked by ABC News about a Reuters report that Russia wanted a written pledge over NATO not enlarging eastwards to include Ukraine and other former Soviet republics, retired Keith Kellogg said: 'It's a fair concern.' 'We've said that to us, Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table, and we're not the only country that says that'. The comment is likely to spark debate, especially among European allies deeply rattled by Moscow 's aggression. Kellogg also claimed that 'four other countries' within NATO also oppose Ukraine's membership, a pointed reference to the alliance's strict rule requiring unanimous approval from all 32 member nations before admitting a new country. The scope of Russia's anxiety doesn't end with Ukraine. 'They're not just talking Ukraine, they're talking the country of Georgia, they're talking Moldova,' Kellogg said. The key Trump confidant and former National Security Adviser added the future of NATO enlargement ultimately rests with Trump. Amid an ongoing diplomatic push to end the bloodshed, Kellogg confirmed that the US is preparing to sit down for peace talks in Istanbul next week, alongside advisers from Germany, France, and the UK. The plan is to merge separate the two memorandums drafted by Ukraine and Russia into a single document. 'When we get into Istanbul next week we'll sit down and talk,' Kellogg confirmed, setting the stage for the high-stakes negotiations. Kellogg said Trump was 'frustrated' with Russia because he had seen 'a level of unreasonableness' from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He scolded Russia for striking Ukrainian cities and said he had told Ukraine to turn up to talks. A conservative estimate of dead and injured in the Ukraine war - from both sides combined - totals 1.2 million, Kellogg said. 'That is a stunning number - this is war on an industrial scale,' Kellogg told ABC. It comes as David Petraeus, a respected former US general and CIA chief, warned that Putin will invade a NATO country if he succeeds in Ukraine. He said Russia could launch an incursion into that Baltic state to test Western resolve or as a precursor to a wider offensive. Mr Petraeus, who headed the CIA after a stellar military career, also criticised US President Donald Trump for repeatedly granting second chances to Putin and took aim at predecessor Joe Biden for failures to adequately arm Ukrainian forces. The CIA chief who led tens of thousands of US, British and other nationality troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, also called on the UK to withdraw from international accords forbidding the use of cluster munitions on the battlefield. He said that these weapons could prove an essential deterrent. Mr Petraeus stated that Russia's aim was to topple president Volodymyr Zelensky in order to 'install a puppet leader and to control all of Ukraine'. He added: 'Once that's done, you are going to see them focus on one of the Baltic states.
