UK to deploy 20,000 troops to NATO military drill to practice repelling a Russian invasion
The UK will send 20,000 troops to one of NATO’s biggest military drills since the Cold War as the alliance practices repelling an invasion by Russian forces, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce today.
Army, navy and RAF personnel will be deployed to the 31-nation Steadfast Defender exercise in a bid to provide “vital reassurance against the menace” of Vladimir Putin, Mr Shapps will say in a speech.
The defence secretary will also warn the West stands at a “crossroads” as he unveils the UK’s contribution to the war games in an address at Lancaster House.
Speaking to Sky News’ Kay Burley, Mr Shapps echoed warnings from his cabinet colleague Lord Cameron, who said on Sunday “the lights are absolutely flashing red on the global dashboard” due to “so much danger and insecurity and instability in the world”.
“Not only have you got the the state, so the Putins of this world and Iran… but you’ve also now got the non-state actors as well, that sort of terrorism that we saw [at] the beginning of this century, individual actors,” said the defence secretary.
“And because of that, this is a more unstable and difficult world. And that’s really the big theme of the speech that I’m making this morning.”
Russia-Ukraine war latest updates
Mr Shapps will set out his vision for how the UK will rebuff potential threats as allies remain concerned over the danger posed by the Kremlin, with the war against Ukraine now approaching its second year.
He is expected to say: “We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation, whenever the call comes.
“Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being drawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine’s lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads.”
Around 16,000 troops, together with tanks, artillery and helicopters, will be sent by the British Army from across Eastern Europe, starting from next month.
The Royal Navy will deploy more than 2,000 sailors across eight warships and submarines, while more than 400 Royal Marine Commandoes will be sent to the Arctic Circle.
The RAF will use F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft.
F-35B Lightning II aircraft, seen on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth moored in Limassol, Cyprus, in 2021
The exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor, defence sources said.
But the main threats being considered are from Russia and terrorists.
‘Much more needs to be done to protect ourselves’
Speaking at a press conference last September, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said of the exercise: “In 2024, the alliance will be holding its largest collective defence exercise since the Cold War: Steadfast Defender.
“Over 40,000 troops from across the alliance will exercise in Germany, Poland and the three Baltic states.”
“A new era of collective defence is upon us,” he continued.
“And NATO military authorities have been preparing for this era for years.
“We have never been stronger or readier.
“And yet… much more needs to be done in order to not only protect ourselves against current threats, but also against reconstituted threats and potential future threats.”
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Sunak: ‘Putin will not outlast us’
Read more:
Russia and Ukraine both running out of ammo – but one has advantage
David Cameron warns of ‘danger and instability’ in the world
Starmer warns of threat Putin poses to Europe and the UK
Mr Shapp’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday to unveil a further £2.5bn support package for Ukraine in 2024-25 – an increase of £200m on the previous two years.
Mr Sunak and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed a new security agreement committing the UK to provide “swift and sustained” assistance if Ukraine is ever attacked by Russia again.
In total since the war began, the UK will have provided almost £12bn of aid to Ukraine, the prime minister said.
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Mr Sunak vowed the UK would continue to stand with Ukraine, telling an audience: “Ukraine is not alone, and Ukraine will never be alone.
“Putin might think that he can outlast us but he is wrong.
“We stand with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’
The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to ramp up.
On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market’s $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication.
Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market”
Among the Magnificent-7 stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data.
The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market” after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020.
“US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%,” it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement was “historic” and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be “impossible to avoid.”
Source: Anthony Scaramucci
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries.
Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will be roughly half the rate US trading partners impose on American goods.
Related: Bitcoin bulls defend $80K support as ‘World War 3 of trade wars’ crushes US stocks
Meanwhile, the crypto industry has pointed out that while the stock market continues to decline, Bitcoin (BTC) remains stronger than most expected.
Crypto trader Plan Markus pointed out in an April 4 X post that while the entire stock market “is tanking,” Bitcoin is holding.
Source: Jeff Dorman
Even some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin’s performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty.
Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has “hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me.”
Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin “doesn’t appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking.” Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data.
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