The European Leadership Network (ELN) examined 39 incidents of military encounters between Russian planes and boats, and Nato forces and allies, in the last eight months to conclude that the "highly disturbing" violations of national airspace had caused several incidents where military confrontation or the loss of life was narrowly avoided.

Its report listed near-misses including violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles, narrowly avoided mid-air collisions, close encounters at sea and simulated bombing attacks stretching from the North Sea to the Baltic and Arctic regions and along the US coast.

Independent