Russia will revise its military doctrine to allow a "preventative" nuclear strike against would-be aggressors, a top Kremlin policy-maker was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the powerful security council, said the conditions under which Russia could resort to atomic weapons are being reworked in the main strategy document and will be reviewed by President Dmitry Medvedev by the end of the year.
"The conditions have been revised for the use of nuclear weapons to rebuff an aggression with the use of conventional weapons, not only on a massive-scale but on a regional and even local level," Patrushev told the Izvestia newspaper.
"Variants are under considerations for the use of nuclear weapons depending on the situation and potential of a would-be aggressor," he said.
"In a critical situation for national security, a preventative nuclear strike on an aggressor is not ruled out."
