A London-based think tank said that Russian forces have been involved in dozens of close encounters with Western militaries since Moscow annexed Crimea. Both sides risk losing control over events, according to a report by the Associated Press.
A study by the European Leadership Network, released on Monday, provides details on 40 incidents and says that they add up to a pattern over a wide geographic places.
It also mentions three "high risk" incidents that have occurred during the last eight months: a near-collision between a SAS civilian airliner and a Russian surveillance plane, the abduction of an Estonian intelligence officer and a Swedish submarine hunt, according to the AP.
The Boeing 737, heading for Rome, had 132 passengers on board.
Tensions have been high since Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine back in March. Alliance pilots have completed 100 intercepts in 2014, which is three times more than in 2013.
In early September, Russian strategic bombers were reported in the Labrador Sea near Canada, practicing what many analysts believe to be simulated cruise missile strikes on the U.S., according to Sky News.
"History shows that, quite often, serious conflicts escalating into wars start off with relatively small incidents which grow very quickly," former UK Defense Secretary Des Browne said to Sky News.
"In my view, they are doing this on NATO's borders to test cooperation and readiness on our side. We need to tell Russia that there are costs and risks associated with this for them, as well as us."
In September, Swedish armed forces examined the waters off Stockholm to look for what was widely rumored to be a Russian submarine. The country's military only confirmed to the press that they were investigating suspected "foreign underwater activity."
Russia has doubled its military spending over the last decade to 70 percent of military equipment by 2020, under orders from President Vladimir Putin.
Despite Putin's image of strength, Russia's economy is looking very weak. The value of the ruble has dropped, thanks to sanctions and a fall in the price of oil.
Capital flight from the country is expected to surpass $100 billion this year, or twice the cost of hosting the Sochi Olympics.
"It's basically nuclear blackmail to frighten the Europeans that Russia may go to war, that this may become nuclear," said Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer, according to Sky News. "That they should make concessions - phase out sanctions, be more considerate to Russia, because Russia can go real bad."
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