OREANDA-NEWS. Andrey Sterlin, chief of the General Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russia, and Alexander Khryapin, employee of the Center for Military-Strategic Research of the Military Academy of the General Staff, wrote an article for the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda. Officers state that nuclear deterrence is the top priority of Russian national security policy, based on the ability of the armed forces to inflict significant damage to the enemy.

Russia can use nuclear weapons upon “receipt of reliable information about the launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territory of Russia and (or) its allies,” registered by the missile attack warning system, the article says.

It is noted that in the event of a missile launch the Russian side will not be able to determine nuclear or non-nuclear weapons were used. “Any attacking missile will be considered as a nuclear-armed missile,” the publication explains.