Russian armed forces launched an invasion on Ukraine before dawn on Feb. 24 with an opening salvo of 30 3M54 Kalibr cruise missiles, a Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman says.

The alliance is planning to deploy more military equipment to reinforce Eastern European countries, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says.

Russian military forces launched a sweeping military invasion of Ukraine just before dawn on Feb. 24, with local reports showing an intense barrage of air and artillery attacks while Russian ground forces streamed across Ukraine’s northern, eastern and southern borders.

Russia’s military forces deployed to the border with Ukraine are ready for a full invasion at a moment’s notice, and the Pentagon is warning that the U.S. and NATO understanding of the situation could degrade if forced to withdraw its reconnaissance aircraft from nearby airspace amid a conflict. 

An ongoing revamp of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) will include a further expansion of the Foreign Internal Defense (FID) mission, Lt. Gen. Jim Slife tells Aviation Week. 

The U.S. government has extensively declassified information regarding Russia’s buildup of forces near Ukraine and the Kremlin’s possible plans to justify an invasion, and the head of the National Reconnaissance Office said that to an extent he supports further sharing of details to deter aggression. 

India is deploying its Tejas fighters to Europe for the first time to participate in a multinational exercise in the UK.

The surprise decision follows the appearance of the jet trainer at last year’s Dubai Airshow, and would make the UAE the first Middle Eastern customer for the platform.