NATO

Poland scrambled fighter jets as Russian missiles and drones struck western Ukraine, triggering air raid alerts nationwide and heavy fighting near Lviv.

Article 4 calls for consultations when a member’s security is threatened; Article 5 is collective defense if an armed attack occurs. Poland’s move signals gravity without crossing into Article 5.

European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace, including with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia.

The war in Ukraine, Europe's deadliest since World War II, has sparked the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The European states, as in the 1930s, refuse to see the danger standing at their threshold.

Moldova’s Orthodox clergy, after all-expenses-paid pilgrimages to Russia, spread anti-Western messages online, influencing the country’s pivotal elections with Russian backing.

Tensions have mounted along Europe's eastern flank where Estonia has accused Moscow of sending 3 fighter jets into its airspace, a week after NATO jets shot down Russian drones in Polish airspace.

Russia's embassy in Copenhagen rejected as "absurd" speculation about Moscow's involvement in the Danish incursions.

"Russia should be in no doubt: NATO and Allies will employ... all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions," the alliance said.

Additionally, US Envoy to the UN Michael Waltz told the UNSC that the "United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory."

Three fighter jets stayed in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before being forced to withdraw.