British spy planes were deployed on 'extraordinary' month-long mission to monitor secretive Russian enclave after Putin threatened to nuke Europe

British spy planes flew an 'extraordinary' month-long mission to monitor Russia after Vladimir Putin threatened to nuke Europe, the Daily Mail can reveal.RAF commanders dispatched the UK's two operational Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft 17 times in October in a dramatic surge to monitor Russian military activity.The highly sensitive jets repeatedly circled Kaliningrad, Russia's secretive military exclave wedged between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea.The intelligence planes, built to soak up classified radio and electronic emissions, also carried out back-to-back patrols of Nato's Baltic borders with Russia and Belarus.'It is extraordinary that that level of activity was aimed over that period of time,' a senior defence source said. 'The use of such an exquisite asset would suggest there was a very special request for information that was felt only Rivet Joint could have answered.'The operation came as Russian tyrant Putin menacingly declared last month he was willing to use 'all the weapons' in his arsenal to strike Europe and warned his forces were 'ready' for war.Amid the increased tensions, the RAF quadrupled the total sorties in October compared to May when four flights took place. Two of the RAF's Rivet Joint spy planes carried took part in a month-long mission to monitor Russia in October amid renewed tensions between Moscow and EuropeIt's unclear what the objective of the jets was. The Ministry of Defence has not commented on the operation.However, experts have suggested it was likely to hoover up Russian communications and signals data to assess the severity of the Russian threat.The two Rivet Joints were repeatedly dispatched from RAF Waddington, the air force's intelligence and surveillance headquarters in Lincolnshire.Flight data, analysed by the Mail, show the planes' main focus was on Russia's strategically important Kaliningrad territory.The mission came shortly after Russia warned Nato it would launch a nuclear strike if the Western alliance attempted to cut off the exclave.'Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should Nato countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,' the note said on September 30.Nato chief Mark Rutte dismissed Moscow's nuclear sabre-rattling, adding: 'Putin knows that he can never win (against) Nato, so I don't take this that seriously.'But Putin later went on to say he was 'ready' for war and that 'if things go too far, there will be no winners at all'. 'Let no one forget that,' he added. Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to use all the weapons at his disposal should the West attack his exclave of Kaliningrad Defence analysts have said Kaliningrad is regularly monitored by Rivet Joints but claimed the intensity of last month's trips appeared unusual.Located about 250 miles west of Russia, the region has become a flashpoint of tensions between Moscow and the West in recent weeks.Sometimes described as the Kremlin's 'unsinkable aircraft carrier', it is the home of the Russian navy's Baltic fleet. It also hosts nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles and S-400 air-defence systems.Poland and some Nato allies fear that, in the event of a full-scale war, Moscow could use the territory to launch long-range strikes deep inside Europe.Russia is also finishing the construction of its latest radar there, too. The gigantic structure, made of three sprawling antenna arrays each extending 1,640ft, is being built in Gvardeysk, about 20 miles from the Polish border.It is believed the new platform will allow Moscow to detect missiles and aircraft from thousands of miles away, while also spotting warships at sea using 'over-the-horizon' technology.Experts have suggested the RAF jets could have been looking to gather intelligence on new Russian assets – or to simply send a warning to the Kremlin.'Surging activity like this sends a very clear message to the Russians letting them know they are being watched,' said Philip Ingram, a former Colonel in British military intelligence. Russia is completing a gigantic radar in Gvardeysk, about 20 miles from the Polish borderHe added: 'These aircraft are operating at the highest possible levels of intelligence-related matters. They are electronic vacuum cleaners that hoover up anything and everything.'The sophisticated tech hidden on each of the 135ft jets picks up radio and electrical signals, which intelligence analysts can use against Moscow.It can identify how to jam air defence systems, target radars and even eavesdrop on secret conversations between Russian commanders, Colonel Ingram claimed.'The Russians will know that just about everything they say is being recorded. Every time they light a radar up, they are being recorded and that will help Nato targeting and jamming should they ever need to go kinetic,' he added.A source, with knowledge of how the jets operate, claimed it was 'very unusual' for such a concentrated effort to have taken place.'Something's happened to drive that change,' they added. 'You wouldn't see that particular surge for a place like Kaliningrad, which has already been mapped to within an inch of its life.'However, an RAF source insisted the operation was 'routine' and part of a 'broader contribution to Nato' as it seeks to strengthen the eastern flank.In August one of the jets previously deployed to Ørland, in Norway, for Exercise Arctic Stone, where it worked alongside the Royal Norwegian Air Force's F-35A stealth jets.'The deployment underlines the growing strategic importance of the High North, a region increasingly central to Nato's northern defences and to the wider security of Europe,' the RAF said at the time. The RAF intelligence gathering planes flew around the Kaliningrad multiple times and carried out patrols along close to the borders of Russia and Belarus Rivet Joints have been in service since 2014. In March 2024, they were scrambled to the Baltic after the Kremlin's electronic warfare experts jammed signals on former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps' RAF jet.Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Poland has strengthened its 143-mile border with Kaliningrad.Last month officials ordered counter-terrorism police to patrol the border amid fears that Russia was plotting possible sabotage attacks.Western intelligence officials believe Putin is conducting a covert campaign of hybrid attacks across Europe, aimed at damaging defence firms supporting Ukraine and critical national infrastructure like undersea cables.However, they believe it is unlikely the Russian leader will use nuclear weapons but have not ruled out the possibility of him accidentally triggering a war with Nato.Last month Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned the UK had 1,000 days to prepare for war, while the Government urged families nationwide to stockpile food and water in case of a national emergency.