Greece on Sunday handed a strictly-worded demarche to the Russian ambassador in the country, in the wake of what Athens charged were deadly Russian air raids in the wider Mariupol area of southeast Ukraine, on the shores of the Sea of Azov.

A new rabid attack against Greece was launched by one of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's advisers, stating, among other things, that Turkey is ready to start a war, to shoot down 5-6 Greek fighters and that he would personally execute a Greek pilot.

Greek armed forces have been placed on full alert after the navtex issued by Turkey encompassing a sea area 200 miles east of Crete and 180 miles south of Kastellorizofor seismic research by the Oruc Reis research vessel, until 2 August.