BRITAIN and the US are planning a massive paratrooper air drop into eastern Europe and war games on the Ukraine border in a "two finger salute" to Vladimir Putin.

The allies are set to put on the spectacular show as the Russian strongman’s forces besiege Ukraine and are currently staging their own infantry, tank, artillery and air drills in Belarus.

British and American commanders are honing plans to hit back with a show of strength involving one of the biggest Nato paratrooper exercises for decades in neighbouring Poland.

UK military chiefs at Permanent Joint HQ in Middlesex are weighing up their options as a gesture of solidarity with Ukrainian forces amid World War III fears.

One plan under discussion is to parachute up to 400 crack troops from 2 Para alongside America’s elite 82nd Airborne into Poland in a “Joint Forceable Entry” exercise.

More than 120 members of 2 Para’s B Company are already in Estonia on winter warfare exercises with Nato units including soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment.

They are part of 16 Air Assault Brigade – the UK’s high readiness troops mostly made up of paratroopers, signallers, medics and engineers.

It comes as the UK's defence minister Ben Wallace announced another 350 troops will be sent to Poland to send a "strong signal" of solidarity.

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The dramatic drop into Poland would be followed by two weeks of war games in a two-finger gesture to Kremlin warlords plotting another Ukraine land grab.

Sources say the Parachute Regiment is “extremely keen” to show off its battle readiness and work alongside hundreds more US allies.

But the MoD and Number Ten are yet to green light the plan, fearing it may be over-aggressive.

A source told the Sun: “The plan is to jump with the 82nd Airborne who have already arrived, but there is concern at senior level that the exercise may be viewed as aggressive.

“A decision is awaited depending on how the situation develops on the ground.”

More than 200 British Paras dropped into Ukraine in September 2020, in a joint exercise with local forces – and have also dropped into Jordan to stage mock battles with ISIS.

America has sent 3,000 troops into Poland to counter the huge Russian troop building up of 130,000 to the south and east and 80,000 pro-Putin fighters in Belarus to the north.

SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE

Around 100 UK troops are currently training Ukraine’s troops in how to fire 2,000 NLAW anti-tank missiles sent to deter a Russian push.

Defence analyst Paul Beaver told The Sun: “Dealing with Russia must be characterised by very clear demonstrations that any aggression will be met with resistance.

“It is important to show Putin that Ukraine has friends and allies who are keen that the country remains an independent democracy.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “There are currently no plans for 16 Air Assault Brigade to conduct a jump into Eastern Europe.”

But sources confirmed the paras plan involved “elements” of the main brigade – as British forces were accused of training saboteurs in yet another pro-Russian “false flag”.

Lt Col Eduard Basurin, a commander in the pro-Moscow breakaway Donbas People’s Republic Militia, said British agents had taught around 40 Polish mercenaries military darks arts.

The military sources confirmed the revelation to be another Russian ruse designed to stoke up tension and give Russia an excuse to invade.

The attack came just 24 hours after The Sun revealed a suspected Russian plot to release a video of a Ukrainian nuclear “Dirty Bomb” targeting the pro-Putin popuation.

'SABOTAGE ATTACKS'

Basurin said two groups each of about 20 Polish-speaking “soldiers of fortune” have been identified on the front line in the Popasna sector in the Luhansk region.

He said: “The presence of two armed assault groups of up to 20 fighters in mixed camouflage uniforms has been noted in the zone of the Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade.

“During closer reconnaissance, it was established that they are speaking Polish.”

“Their task is to carry out terrorist and sabotage attacks aimed at disrupting daily life and intimidating the local population.

“Before being sent to Donbas, the members of these groups underwent military training under the guidance of British instructors."

“They are operating alongside members of the "Right Sector" an extremist Ukrainian nationalist grouping banned in Russia – so any of them who were captured would be in for a rough time.

“Two units consisting of Right Sector militants, 70-80 people each, also arrived at the locations of the 54th and 56th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

The fake claim could spark war because sabotage operations are mutually banned by both sides in the eight-year conflict.

A British military source said: “The whole story is complete cobblers – the latest of many “false flag” fabrications.”

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