Ukraine-Russia war latest: Germany says Europe and Russia ‘no longer at peace’ while Putin plans huge conscription

Europe and Russia are “no longer at peace” German chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned.

Mr Merz accused Moscow of executing a “war against our democracy and a war against our freedom”, at a media event in Dusseldorf on Monday.

It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his biggest conscription plans in almost a decade, mandating 135,000 Russians between the ages of 18 and 30 to join the army. In 2016, 152,000 soldiers were enlisted.

Overnight, a family of four were killed in attacks in Sumy, with Russian claiming it had seized two frontline settlements in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The move comes at a time where more Nato nations are raising the alarm over violations in their airspace from Russia, with Denmark ordering a ban on civil drone flights ahead of two European summits this week after unexplained drones were spotted near military sites over the weekend.