Two NATO officials, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive operational matters, told NBC News U.S. fighter jets were taking off for assignments somewhere in Eastern Europe.

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.

The United Nations regards violations of NATO airspace attributed to Russia as a threat to security in Europe, a senior official said at a special meeting in New York on Monday. "This series of recent incidents further underscored the already high tensions that endanger European security as the war continues to rage in Ukraine,

President Donald Trump criticizes NATO countries for continuing Russian energy purchases, saying China and India are primary funders of the ongoing war.

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,

Estonia is extending a fence along its border with Russia and building anti-tank ditches and bunkers in preparation for a potential conflict with Moscow.

Europe is said to be preparing for war following the rising tensions between NATO and Russia. A German general recently claimed that if a war with Russia were to begin, we would be seeing a daily death count on the battlefield that wouldn't have been seen in decades.

U.S. allies called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council after a series of incidents raised alarm about growing Russian threats to Europe.

What You Need To Know: Two days after an unprecedented drone incursion by Russia on Polish territory on September 10, NATO unveiled its response: Operation Eastern Sentry. The mission kicked off immediately on September 12 but will be fleshed out further in the coming weeks.