Britain's foreign minister warned Russia on Monday that its incursions into NATO countries risked direct armed conflict and that the alliance would be ready to confront military aircraft entering its airspace, Reuters reported.
"Your reckless actions risk leading to a direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia," Yvette Cooper told the UN Security Council.
"Our alliance is defensive, but make no mistake, we are ready to defend NATO airspace and territory."
Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of spending hundreds of millions of euros trying to influence the country's upcoming parliamentary elections, Reuters reported.
"The Kremlin is pouring hundreds of millions of euros into buying hundreds of thousands of votes on both banks of the Dniester River and abroad," she said in a video message posted online. "People are being bombarded with lies every day. Hundreds of individuals are being paid to provoke unrest, violence and spread fear."
Russia denies interfering in Moldova's internal affairs.
Meanwhile, Moldovan authorities said they had conducted 250 searches and detained dozens of people as part of an investigation into an alleged Russian-backed plot to incite "mass unrest" and destabilizing the country ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, the Associated Press reported.
74 people have been detained for up to 72 hours, said Victor Furtuna, Moldova's chief prosecutor for the Anti-Organized Crime Service.
On Sunday, Moldovans will vote to elect a new 101-seat parliament, in an election that many see as a choice between continuing Moldova's path toward European Union membership or closer ties with Russia, the AP noted.