NATO has disputed this, with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stating Russia has continued to fortify its military presence.

Clashing briefings have so far made up the primary means of exchange between Russia and its opponents, with experts convinced it won’t go much further.

Dr Lily Hamourtziadou, a lecturer in criminology with security studies at Birmingham City University, argued the Cold War attitudes of the 20th century have still not faded.

She said: “The creation of NATO in 1949 aimed to provide collective security against the Soviet Union, in an East-West Cold War that has not ended.”