On Monday the Pentagon sent a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber and a formation of supporting fighter jets over Estonian airspace, very close to Russia's doorstep.

Crucially the large bomber is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and reports say the accompanying F-35A Lightning II fighter jets approached the Russian border during the flight. Watch the provocative flyover of Baltic territory below:

The air traffic monitoring site FlightRadar24 confirmed and tracked the bomber flight group's path, also at a moment NATO has been sending increased air patrol missions over the Baltic region, which Moscow has complained about.

These flights have been supported by NATO’s Joint Expeditionary Force, and come amid months of controversy over allegations that Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers are damaging telecom cables under the Baltic Sea.

This also appears a response to Russian aircraft buzzing the Alaskan air defense identification zone (ADIZ) just days ago.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracked Russian aircraft off Alaska on February 19. It was an unspecified amount and type of Russian aircraft, according to a NORAD statement, but typically Russia sends its own long-range bombers on such flights.

As part of the aforementioned NATO integrated mission, the US recently deployed a pair of B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania, which is not far from the Ukrainian border.

This means that even as the Trump administration rapidly pursues a peace deal with Moscow related to the Ukraine war, tensions between Russia and the Western alliance continue to soar and be on edge.

While Russia semi-regularly flies bombers off Alaska in international airspace, it has not actually stationed bombers on the ground at bases in the vicinity of North America. Certainly the US parking bombers in NATO 'eastern flank' member Romania has set off alarm bells at the Kremlin.