Thousands of troops are taking part in military drills in northern Finland, close to the alliance's border with Russia.

A monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin erected in Moscow’s subway is stirring debate, with some Russians welcoming it as a historical tribute, but others saying it’s a mistake to commemorate someone who presided over so much suffering.

Russia said on Wednesday its air defences shot down more than 370 Ukrainian drones, including some approaching Moscow, and the capital's airports were briefly shut down to ensure the safety of flights.

It could of course have been pure coincidence that when Vladimir Putin unveiled Russia’s first hypersonic missile to the world, he did so with a simulation of the weapon plummeting into an unnamed peninsula bearing an uncanny resemblance to Florida.

Until last week, a secretive fleet of ships ferrying Russian oil around the world showed no clear links to the Kremlin. That changed when Russia used a fighter jet in an apparent effort to protect a tanker.

Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, said on Wednesday that air defence forces had downed three drones en route to Russia's capital.

President Donald Trump is making clear he is losing patience with Vladimir Putin, leveling some of his sharpest criticism at the Russian leader as Moscow pounds Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for a third straight night.

The West's newfound interest in the Arctic is making Moscow, which has longstanding geopolitical, economic and strategic interests in the region, nervous.