Russia escalated its aggressive rhetoric and action against Ukraine and the West on Monday.

After threatening Sweden’s Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea, Russian warships have entered the North Sea. Significant numbers of NATO air and navy assets are monitoring them. Also on Monday, Russia’s 1st Guards Tank Army began command staff exercises. Those exercises will help commanders prepare for any invasion of Ukraine. They come alongside ramped-up military deployments to Ukraine’s border. At the same time, Russia has now ruled out new talks with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, describing it as an “amorphous structure that has no international legal status.”