Dozens of the 350 troop reinforcements promised by Germany began arriving in NATO ally Lithuania on Monday amid regional tensions over Russia's troop build-up around Ukraine.

A military transport plane carrying German soldiers arrived in Kaunas -- the Baltic state's second largest city -- to begin the deployment, an AFP photographer saw.

Germany already has around 550 soldiers stationed in Lithuania and leads the NATO multinational battalion there.

The additional forces will be backed up by 100 military vehicles, the commander of the battle group Daniel Andrae told reporters.

"We are looking forward to integrate them into the battle group," he said.

"For me as a commander it is always good to get additional capabilities and forces... to be ready for everything which might come up," he added.

The Baltic nation borders both Russia and Belarus.

NATO's "enhanced forward presence" in Poland and the Baltic states, all of which are alliance members, was decided following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

"Germany's decision to send more troops to Lithuania is an important and timely decision, demonstrating NATO's solidarity, unity and commitment to collective defence," Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said in a statement.

The boosted German force makes Lithuania Germany's second-biggest deployment after Mali.

With more than 100,000 Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, fears are mounting that a major conflict could break out in Europe.

As part of the intensive diplomacy sparked by security tensions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz landed in Kyiv on Monday for crisis talks ahead of a visit to Moscow.

UK to send 'small number' of troops to Lithuania
London (AFP) Feb 14, 2022 - Britain will send a small number of troops to Lithuania, in response to "pressures along its border with Belarus" and amid heightened fears Russia may invade Ukraine, officials said Monday.

The deployment to the former Soviet bloc country was being made "in the spirit of solidarity", said a defence ministry statement. It would support its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts.

Although Lithuania is a NATO member, the personnel will not be sent through the Western military alliance but bilaterally, the statement added.

"The UK and Lithuania have shared concerns about Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's border and the unfolding migrant crisis on Lithuania's border with Belarus," Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement.

"I have now directed the bilateral deployment of a small number of military personnel to address these border pressures."

Britain has announced a flurry of troop deployments in recent weeks, sending an additional 350 soldiers to Poland to help shore up NATO's eastern flank against any perceived Russian aggression.

They join the 150 soldiers Britain already contributes to NATO's enhanced forward presence there.

London also sent another 150 soldiers to Poland in December in response to the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border.

It is nearly doubling its NATO deployment in Lithuania's Baltic neighbour Estonia -- from 900 to 1,750 -- and until recently had a smaller force in Ukraine for training on UK anti-tank missiles.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 1,000 troops would be placed on readiness to deploy at short notice for a "humanitarian response" in the region if required, his office said last week.

US intelligence has warned that Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops around Ukraine's borders, could invade its western neighbour within days.

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