Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, according to a government website.

As new tensions rise between Russia and NATO powers, Moscow's top diplomat insisted to world leaders Saturday that his nation doesn't intend to attack Europe but will mount a “decisive response” to any aggression.

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Monday (Sep 29) signed a law pulling Russia out of a European anti-torture convention, continuing Moscow’s withdrawal from Western institutions since the start of its war in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Europe "is not at war ... but no longer at peace" with Russia.

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

That campaign now seems to be migrating into the skies above Europe. For decades Russia has occasionally strayed into the national airspace of NATO allies, which follows national borders and extends 12 nautical miles from a country’s shoreline.

European diplomats have privately warned the Kremlin that NATO is prepared to respond to further violations of its airspace by Russian aircraft, including by shooting them down. Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda Details: According to Bloomberg,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has once again blamed the West for the war in Ukraine. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov accused NATO and the European Union of having declared a "real war" on Moscow through Ukraine.