Canada sent today two warships to the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic to join two frigates previously sent to the region to strengthen NATO's eastern flank.

According to a statement from the Canadian Navy, the two Canadian ships "Kingston" and "Summerside" belonging to Her Majesty sailed on a four-month mission, as part of the "deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe" that began in 2014 after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

It reported that during October, the two ships will participate in naval mine-clearing exercises and will maintain a "high readiness" that allows them "to respond quickly and effectively to support any NATO operation." The ships "Halifax" and "Montreal" are scheduled to return to port in July after participating in the "Reassurance" operation, which is currently Canada's largest military deployment abroad.

The mission also includes about 700 Canadian soldiers in Latvia, equipped with electronic warfare and artillery capabilities, in addition to several military aircraft.