Buildup of NATO’s military potential a key external threat to Russia - renewed Russian Military Doctrine

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. The buildup of NATO’s military potential is among the key external military threats to Russia, according to a new wording of the Russian Federation’s Military Doctrine posted on the Kremlin's website Friday. Besides, the key threats include the vesting of the North Atlantic alliance with “global functions being implemented in violation of international law norms”, as well as “the movement of military infrastructure of NATO member countries closer toward Russian borders, including through further expansion of the bloc.” The document text also ranks among the key military threats against Russia the establishment and deployment of strategic missile defense systems “undermining global stability and violating the established alignment of forces in the missile and nuclear sphere, implementation of the global strike concept, the intention to place weapons in space, as well as deployment of strategic non-nuclear systems of precision weapons.” The key military dangers in the renewed Military Doctrine include deployment and buildup of foreign contingents in neighboring states and adjacent waters, “including for political and military pressure upon the Russian Federation.” Besides, the dangers list enumerates the use of military force on the territory of neighboring countries in violation of international law norms, the appearance of hot spots and escalation of military conflicts there, as well as the establishment in neighboring states of regimes whose policy threatens Russia’s interests. The new version of the doctrine also ranks among the key military dangers “territorial claims to the Russian Federation and its allies, interference in their domestic affairs.” In all, the document mentions 14 key external military threats to Russia, including sabotage by foreign special services and organizations, the growing threat of extremism and terrorism in conditions of insufficiently effective international cooperation in the sphere, as well as proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, missiles and missile technologies. Read more