Russia will use its nuclear potential in the event of any missile attack on its territory, this follows from the article prepared by the General staff of the Armed forces "On the basics of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence", which was published by the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.
Since it is impossible to determine whether a nuclear missile is in question or not, any missile will be positioned as a nuclear one, it follows from the material. The Russian military leadership will immediately receive information about the launch and determine the scale of response.
At the same time, representatives of the General staff note that the destruction of Russia will be considered as the enemy's goal in such a situation.
The Ministry of Defense explains that the conditions for the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction by the enemy, the impact on critical Russian facilities, as well as aggression with the use of conventional weapons should not raise questions from experts. The authors of the article note that Russia has designated "red lines" that no one should cross. If a potential opponent decides to do this, "the response will be overwhelming."
The article also states that the termination of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3) may bring the world to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.
On June 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the "Bases of state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence", which states that "the Russian Federation considers nuclear weapons solely as a means of deterrence, the use of which is an extreme measure of necessity". Deterrence is aimed at making the potential enemy aware of the inevitability of retribution for aggression, the document emphasizes.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), signed in 2010, remains the only existing arms limitation agreement between Russia and the United States. It expires in February 2021, and Washington has not yet announced whether it intends to extend it. The US administration at various levels has stressed the need to include China in the negotiations to develop a new trilateral nuclear agreement. Beijing rejects this idea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Moscow supported the extension of the Treaty without preconditions.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: United States Department of Energy
Based on materials from RIA Novosti