This was the latest event after a series of incursions by Russian military aircraft into NATO airspace in September, leading to heightened tensions between NATO and Russia.

President Donald Trump says he will defend the Baltic states if Russia intensifies hostilities following Moscow's incursion into Estonia's airspace in recent days.

Ukrainian attacks on Russia's Belgorod region have killed two civilians while Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine left one man dead

The Russian Navy does not currently have a new aircraft carrier under construction. Still, it has been designing potential new carriers, most notably the nuclear-powered Project Shtorm and a more recent design for a light carrier,

Fighters from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Sunday intercepted a Russian aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

Germanys air force deployed two Eurofighter jets to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea. Al Jazeera reported.

Two Swedish Gripen and two German Eurofighter jets were deployed into international airspace to track the Russian IL-20 reconnaissance plane. The aircraft had been flying without providing a flight path or establishing radio contact, according to air force officials from both countries.

Shortly after 0500 GMT, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as air strikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.