Sky News claims it has proof that Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine, despite Vladimir Putin’s denials, and RAF Typhoon jets intercept two unknown aircraft on a mission over the Baltic Sea.
Baltic Air Policing Quick Reaction Alert
The Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph and Daily Express among other outlets report that RAF Typhoon jets, deployed as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, intercepted two unknown aircraft on a mission over the Baltic Sea. The jets were scrambled from Amari Air base in Estonia after the planes approached Baltic airspace without sharing a flight plan. Read more on this story here.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who plans to visit the Baltic Air Policing detachment later this month, said:
The interception of Russian military aircraft by our RAF Typhoon fighters underlines our commitment to NATO and the security of the Baltic region. RAF air and ground crew are doing vital work to defend the skies above and around the Baltic States and I look forward to seeing that work first hand in the near future.
LGBT personnel
In the expected feature, the Guardian says LGBT Armed Forces personnel are now seen as exemplary employees. The piece features positive interviews with an RAF chief technician and the chairman of the army LGBT forum. It references that all three services are in Stonewall’s Top 100 employers and says the transformation in attitude has been “striking”. It adds that the MOD recognises that there is more to be done.
Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Penny Mordaunt, said:
It gives me immense pride to see the great strides made to advance diversity and inclusion across the Armed Forces over the past 15 years.
On Armed Forces day this month, Royal Navy, British Army and RAF personnel will march proudly in uniform in London Pride. And with all three services named in the top 100 LGB-friendly employers in the UK by Stonewall recently, the progress made by the Armed Forces over a relatively short amount of time is truly impressive.
Brecon Beacons
There is further coverage of the inquest into the deaths of three soldiers in the Brecon Beacons. The Sun, Daily Star and Daily Mirror carry short pieces updating on the case, while the Daily Mail runs a page lead which says one of the soldiers who died had the highest temperature a medic had ever seen.
Gurkha 200
Most of today’s papers highlight The Queen leading yesterday’s celebrations marking two centuries of Gurkha service with the British Armed Forces. The papers focus on the attendance by the Royals – including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry – and Joanna Lumley, who led the campaign to allow Gurkhas settlement rights in Britain in 2009. On the front page of The Telegraph a picture of the actress with a group of Gurkhas features prominently.
An MoD spokesperson said:
The Gurkhas have served this country with great loyalty and distinction over the years and are held in high esteem by the British Army and the public.
Yasmin Disney
Army secretary Yasmin Disney, who received £100,000 through false expense claims, has been jailed for 22 months. This court story is picked up today in the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and The Independent. Ms Disney admitted to making a string of false claims while being a personal assistant to Major Luke Cox.