NATO allies are divided over whether the alliance should make it a policy to shoot down Russian jets that violate NATO’s airspace, with some countries including the US, Poland, and Baltic nations signaling that future violations should be met with force,

From the moment the Russian pilots entered Estonian airspace, they were pursued by Nato’s most advanced fighter jets.

RUSSIA has said it will go to war with the West if Nato acts on the threat to shoot down Moscow’s fighter jets. Tensions have reached new heights after Russia was accused of violating Nato

In response to questions about the alliance being overly cautious in responding to Russian aerial incursions, Nato chief Mark Rutte has said the response rests on the escalation ladder and there must be no doubt Nato forces will shoot down Russian aircraft if they pose a threat during any incursion.

In a frightening display of power to the West and NATO, Russia staged a show of strategic long-range nuclear bombers over the Bering and Okhotsk seas this week. This action marked the ninth time Russian warplanes have been detected flying near Alaska this year, according to US authorities.

The reason is a series of increasingly brazen incursions into NATO airspace. On September 8, 21 Russian drones entered Polish territory, where some of them were shot down by an unprecedented Polish-German-Italian-Dutch military operation.

Germany said Thursday it would step up its defences -- from drone warfare to outer space -- at a time of growing tensions between Russia and NATO while the Ukraine war grinds on.Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday that Germany would spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) on outer space defence by 2030,