Russia keeps right to use nukes

WASHINGTON, Dec 26: Russia has reserved the right to use nuclear weapons or other means of power first if there is an armed invasion or thr...

WASHINGTON, Dec 26: Russia has reserved the right to use nuclear weapons or other means of power first if there is an armed invasion or threat to existence of the state, President Boris Yeltsin has announced.

"The abandonment reverses former President M Gorbachev’s pledge for "no first use", the US media reports said today.

In a major 37-page national security "concept" document earlier this month, Yeltsin underlined the need to rebuild the Russian armed forces.

With this, both Russia and the US have reserved the right to first use of nuclear weapons.

The two countries have also made it clear that they need nuclear arsenal indefinitely, reports carried by the US media said.

Russia faces a series of threats, including large-scale infiltration of criminals.

Besides, the several stretches of its borders are not guarded, the document said.

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It noted that Russian influence on the world had "considerably decreased", and said the country found itself "isolated" from the Asia-Pacific region.

The document said Russia was facing a number of problems, including shrinking industrial production, growing dependence on imports, brain drain in the scientific and skilled fields, collapse of public finances and crime and corruption. The current state of economy is also a major threat to the national security of the Russian federation, it said. The document also warned there could be a further split in Russia — which comprises 89 regions, some of which were already ignoring the Russian Constitution and federal laws.

Russia’s legal system is weakening in the wake of criminals paving their way into it besides banking and industry sectors, the document said, adding the criminal world was also a major challenge to the country.