BORISOVSKY TRAINING GROUND, Belarus and LONDON -- Russia put on a display of firepower as part of its major military exercises in Belarus on Monday, with neighboring NATO nations on alert amid some of the highest tensions in Europe since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Poland’s foreign minister has suggested that NATO states should consider imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect the alliance’s territory and people from Russian drones.

In a dramatic escalation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared that NATO is “de-facto at war with Russia,” citing its ongoing military support for Ukraine. This marks the first open acknowledgment by Moscow of a wider conflict beyond Ukraine.

Crew members aboard the Admiral Golovko, a frigate with the Northern Fleet, fired a Zircon missile at a sea target in the Barents Sea, Russia's government said on Sunday. The Admiral Golovko has been known to carry Zircon missiles for several years.

A NATO boss has issued a horrifying warning as its told Russia ‘could strike London’. Fears of World War Three have been intensifying recently as the organisation was warned Vladimir Putin might target a major Western European city next.

Russia has threatened a full-scale war with NATO after a demand for the West to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine. Warsaw called for a no-fly zone over parts of Ukraine after the incursion of at least 20 UAVs from Vladimir Putin 's forces over Poland and Romania in recent days, sparking widepsread condemnation.

In the years since Russia invaded Ukraine, NATO has focused on defending its own territory first and resisted lower-level harassment from Russia, like acts of sabotage and intimidation.