A Russian surveillance plane recently flew within a few hundred meters of a German frigate operating in the Baltic Sea.

NATO scrambles to counter Russian drones and airspace violations. Poland vows shootdowns, but allies fear escalation as Europe shoulders defence burden.

After US President Donald Trump and Secretary General Mark Rutte said they will shoot down Russian aircraft breaching Nato members’ airspace, Kremlin has slammed the move as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘reckless’ and said Russia would respond to any such shootdown.

Intrusions into NATO’s airspace blamed on Russia have reached an unprecedented scale, raising questions about whether the Kremlin is trying to test the alliance’s willingness to respond to a direct attack or divert its attention and resources from the war in Ukraine.

NATO and the EU have "declared war" on Russia through Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on Sept. 25. Lavrov’s remarks come amid rising tensions between Russia and NATO following recent violations of the alliance's airspace by Russian drones and fighter jets.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he believes NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft when they violate NATO airspace.

The planes' detection in international airspace off Alaska comes amid tensions over Russian incursions in NATO airspace.

Russia is becoming "more and more of a threat to NATO," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday, as he visited Poland and Lithuania amid weeks of high tensions on the alliance's eastern flank due to Russian incursions.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry and NATO for comment. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, marking the expansion of the alliance due to security concerns caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.