RUSSIA’S NEW MILITARY DOCTRINE LISTS NATO, US AS MAJOR FOREIGN THREATS

Published time: December 26, 2014 13:02
Edited time: December 26, 2014 14:03

AFP Photo / Natalia Kolesnikova

Russia has adopted an updated version of its military doctrine, which
reflects the emergence of new threats against its national security.

NATO military buildup and American Prompt Global Strike concept are
listed among them.

The new doctrine was approved on Friday by President Vladimir Putin.

Its core remains unchanged from the previous version. The Russian
military remains a defensive tool which the country pledges to use
only as a last resort.

Also unchanged are the principles of the use of nuclear weapons which
Russia adheres to. Their primary goal is to deter potential enemies
from attacking Russia, but it would use them to protect itself from
a military attack – either nuclear or conventional – threatening
its existence.

The new sections of the doctrine outline the threat Russia sees in
NATO’s expansion and military buildup and the fact that the alliance
is taking upon itself “global functions realized with violation of
international law.”

The doctrine lists among major foreign military threats “the creation
and deployment of global strategic antiballistic missile systems that
undermines the established global stability and balance of power
in nuclear missile capabilities, the implementation of the ‘prompt
strike’ concept, intent to deploy weapons in space and deployment of
strategic conventional precision weapons.”

The Yury Dolgoruky nuclear-powered submarine.(RIA Novosti / Pavel
Kononov)

Another new point in the doctrine is that one of the Russian military’s
goals is to protect national interests in the Arctic region.

READ MORE: Sneak peak at Russia’s ‘under renovation’ Arctic base

The document also points to the threat of destabilization countries
bordering Russia or its allies and deployment of foreign troops such
nations as a threat to national security.

Domestically, Russia faces threats of “actions aimed at violent
change of the Russian constitutional order, destabilization of the
political and social environment, disorganization of the functioning
of governmental bodies, crucial civilian and military facilities and
informational infrastructure of Russia,”the doctrine says.

Moscow sees international cooperation with countries sharing its effort
to increase security, particularly members of BRICS, the OSCE, the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and others as the key to preventing
military conflicts, the doctrine states.

Traditional threats that Russia must deal with mentioned in the
doctrine include extremism and terrorism, proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and rocket technology and actions of foreign
intelligence services.

The document notes that modern threats are increasingly drifting from
a military nature to informational, and states that the likelihood
of anyone launching a fully-fledged war against Russia is decreasing.