Monday, 06 October 2003

DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA COULD USE FORCE TO DEFEND ITS COMPATRIOTS IN CIS

Published in News Digest

By empty (10/6/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Speaking to journalists in Reykjavik en route to an official visit to North and South America, Sergei Ivanov outlined situations in which Moscow might carry out a preemptive military strike under the terms of its new military doctrine. Ivanov said Russia might carry out a preemptive military strike if there is a distinct, clear, and inevitable military threat to the country. Moscow might also opt for such a measure if it is threatened with reduced access to regions of the world where it has crucial economic or financial interests.
Speaking to journalists in Reykjavik en route to an official visit to North and South America, Sergei Ivanov outlined situations in which Moscow might carry out a preemptive military strike under the terms of its new military doctrine. Ivanov said Russia might carry out a preemptive military strike if there is a distinct, clear, and inevitable military threat to the country. Moscow might also opt for such a measure if it is threatened with reduced access to regions of the world where it has crucial economic or financial interests. Furthermore, Russia might use its military might within the CIS if a complex, unstable situation develops or if there is a direct threat to Russian citizens or ethnic Russians, Ivanov said. He added, however, that he sees no such threat within the CIS now and that military force would only be used if all other means, including the application of international sanctions, have been exhausted. (RFE/RL)
Read 2231 times

Visit also

silkroad

AFPC

isdp

turkeyanalyst

The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.

Newsletter

Sign up for upcoming events, latest news, and articles from the CACI Analyst.

Newsletter