When Master Cpl. Josaphat Nicolas-Marchal arrived for his deployment at the Adazi military base in Latvia in December, Western intelligence officials had just started warning that Russia could be poised to invade Ukraine.
Now four months into the soldier’s rotation, NATO is trying to deter Russia from launching additional offensives and is bolstering the number of troops deployed in eastern Europe.
“It is very different for us, because now we are close to what is happening,” said Nicolas-Marchal, who is normally stationed at CFB Valcartier in Quebec but has served previously in NATO missions in Poland and Iraq.
“Whatever happens can
