January 20, 2000    
This Date's Issues: 4049 4050 4051 4052 4053

Johnson's Russia List
#4051
20 January 2000
davidjohnson@erols.com

[Note from David Johnson:
1. Reuters: U.S. plays down revised Russian nuclear war plan.
2. Interfax: Analysts View Reaction to Security Concept.
3. Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye: Russia's National Security Concept. 

******

#1
U.S. plays down revised Russian nuclear war plan
By David Storey

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday played down a 
new national security concept published by Russia, saying it did not 
represent a significant shift that would make it more likely Moscow would use 
nuclear weapons. 

``We ... do not believe that it represents a significant, major departure 
from Russia's concept issued in 1997 or that it makes the use of nuclear 
weapons more likely,'' State Department spokesman James Rubin said. 

Rubin, speaking at a State Department news briefing, was giving the first 
formal U.S. response to the plan which was announced by Moscow on Friday. 

Under the previous concept published in 1997, Russia reserved the right to 
use its nuclear arsenal, the world's second-largest, only if its very 
existence were threatened. 

The new version, approved by Acting President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 6, now 
envisages the potential use of atomic weapons ``to repel armed aggression,'' 
a much less specific term. 

It was interpreted in Moscow as a sign that Moscow was lowering the threshold 
for using nuclear weapons. 

Rubin said although there had been some adjustments in the wording, ``both 
the 1997 and 2000 national security concepts assert the right to use 
available forces and assets, including nuclear if all other measures of 
resolving the crisis situation have been exhausted and have proven 
ineffective.'' 

``Russian doctrine has rejected no-first-use of nuclear weapons since the 
mid-1990s, so the fact that they are contemplating the first use of nuclear 
weapons -- there's nothing new there,'' he said. 

He said Washington and Moscow would discuss the concept, which followed a 
reassessment of the military threat to Russia. 

The 21-page document was drawn up after the expansion of NATO into three 
former Soviet states and against the backdrop of NATO's air campaign against 
Yugoslavia and reflected a more antagonistic view of the world. 

But it also recognised the economy was in tatters, conventional forces were 
in disarray and the nuclear deterrent was one of the few tools left in the 
kit. 

Moscow's main security task was to deter any attacks, nuclear or 
conventional, against Russia and its allies. 

It said, ``The Russian Federation considers it possible to use military force 
to guarantee its national security according to the following principles: 

``The use of all forces and equipment at its disposal, including nuclear 
weapons, if it has to repel armed aggression if all other means of resolving 
the crisis have been exhausted or proved ineffective.'' 

******

#2
Analysts View Reaction to Security Concept 

Strategist Says Nuclear Arms Concept 'Logical'
By Interfax analysts Aleksey Aleksandrov and Igor Denisov

MOSCOW. Jan 14 (Interfax) - Moscow's criticism of 
the NATO operation in Kosovo and the subsequent Western condemnation of 
the federal anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya have led to a situation 
when the West regards any Russian moves, especially in defense, with 
suspicion and prejudice. 

The latest example is the extremely uneasy reaction to the new Russian 
national security concept and draft military doctrine. Westerners see a 
threat in the provision of both documents concerning the conditions in 
which Russia would allow itself to use its nuclear arsenal. 

The West believes Russia is introducing a new principle of extended 
nuclear deterrence and lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear 
weapons. According to this logic, it is Russia's asymmetrical response to 
its loss of its superpower status and the virtual appearance of a 
unipolar world. 

Only the latter seems true. It is a fact that Russia does not accept a 
unipolar structure of the world order, which it has openly stated in both 
the concept and military doctrine. This attitude is not new. It has been 
stated by Russian politicians and in various concepts and doctrines since 
the mid-90s, since the dismissal, to be more precise, of foreign minister 
Andrei Kozyrev, who was regarded as a pro-Western liberal, and his 
replacement by Yevgeny Primakov, an advocate of a strong Russian state. 

As for claims that the threshold for the use of nuclear arms has been 
lowered, Interfax sources at the Defense Ministry say that is not true. 
According to them, the Soviet Union as a true superpower could permit 
itself to play with words and declare that it would not be the first to 
use nuclear arms. 

Russia has not been juggling words and, the guidelines of the military 
doctrine approved in 1993 already announced that Russia would use nuclear 
arms in the event of a threat to its sovereignty and national integrity. 
The Russian position has not changed since then, sources say. 

Deputy chief of the General Staff Col. Gen. Valery Manilov recently told 
Interfax that "the principles for using nuclear arms remain unchanged." 
"The doctrine unequivocally states the generally accepted notion of 
nuclear arms as a deterrent," Manilov said. 

He said Russia "honestly, openly and firmly" declares that it reserves 
the right "to use nuclear arms solely in the event of aggression against 
itself or its allies, when no other means are deemed possible to prevent 
the liquidation of Russia as a party to international relations." 
"There can be only one conclusion: Russia will never use nuclear arms if 
aggression is not launched against it," Manilov said. 

It would have been strange, of course, if Moscow had not taken into 
account in its fundamental national security documents crucial landmark 
events of the past few years, such as the epoch-making decision on NATO 
enlargement or the NATO operation against Yugoslavia. 

Manilov also denied claims that the new military doctrine is anti- Western. 
He said Russia is interested in cooperation with the West, but said only 
"mutually beneficial and neighborly cooperation on an equal footing with 
Western countries" could be in question. 

Moscow is sure that the approval of new documents on national security 
should have no effect on Russia's relations with the rest of the world. 
Military officers as professionals know the situation without them and 
the documents are nothing more than the recognition of the existence of 
nuclear arms in Russia. In this respect nothing has changed for them. 

In fact, nothing is changing for the politicians who add similar 
passages to the their own countries' documents. "If the U.S. military 
doctrine does not reject the possibility of a first use of nuclear 
weapons, this is the all more true for Russia, which is weak in 
conventional forces," head of the Russian Institute for Political Studies 
Sergei Markov told Interfax. 

******

#3
Russia's National Security Concept 

Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye
14 January 2000
[translation for personal use only]
The national security blueprint [kontseptsiya] of the Russian Federation
(hereinafter "blueprint") is a system of views on how to ensure in the
Russian Federation security of
the individual, society and state against external and internal threats in
any aspect of life and activity.
The blueprint defines the most important directions of the state policy of
the Russian Federation. 

The national security of the Russian Federation is understood to mean the
security of its multinational
people, in whom reside sovereignty and the sole source of authority in the
Russian Federation. 

1.Russia in the world community

The situation in the world is characterized by a dynamic transformation of
the system of international
relations. Following the end of the bipolar confrontation era, two
mutually-exclusive trends took
shape. 

The first of these trends shows itself in the strengthened economic and
political positions of a
significant number of states and their integrative associations and in
improved mechanisms for
multilateral management of international processes. Economic, political,
science and technological,
environmental and information factors are playing an ever-increasing role.
Russia will facilitate the
formation of an ideology of establishing a multipolar world on this basis. 

The second trend shows itself in attempts to create an international
relations structure based on
domination by developed Western countries in the international community,
under US leadership and
designed for unilateral solutions (including the use of military force) to
key issues in world politics in
circumvention of the fundamental rules of international law. 

The formation of international relations is accompanied by competition and
also by the aspiration of a
number of states to strengthen their influence on global politics,
including by creating weapons of
mass destruction. Military force and violence remain substantial aspects of
international relations. 

Russia is one of the world's major countries, with centuries of history and
rich cultural traditions.
Despite the complex international situation and its own temporary
difficulties, Russia continues to
play an important role in global processes by virtue of its great economic,
scientific, technological
and military potential and its unique strategic location on the Eurasian
continent. 

There are prospects for the Russian Federation's broader integration into
the world economy and for
expanded cooperation with international economic and financial
institutions. The commonality of
interests of Russia and other states is objectively preserved in many
international security problems,
including opposing the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, settling
and preventing regional
conflicts, fighting international terrorism and the drugs trade, and
resolving acute ecological problems
of a global nature, including nuclear and radiation safety. 

At the same time, a number of states are stepping up efforts to weaken
Russia politically,
economically, militarily and in other ways. Attempts to ignore Russia's
interests when solving major
issues of international relations, including conflict situations, are
capable of undermining international
security, stability, and the positive changes achieved in international
relations. 

Terrorism is transnational in nature and poses a threat to world stability.
This issue has exacerbated
sharply in many countries, including in the Russian Federation, and to
fight it requires unification of
efforts by the entire international community, increased effectiveness of
existing ways of countering
this threat, and also urgent action to neutralize it. 

II. Russia's national interests 

Russia's national interests are the combined and balanced interests of the
individual, society and the
state in economic; domestic political, social, international,
informational, military, border, ecological
security. They are long-term in nature and define the main goals and
strategic and short-term goals of
the state's domestic and foreign policy. The national interests are secured
by institutions of state
authority, which may also act in coordination with public organizations
operating on the basis of the
constitution and legislation of the Russian Federation. 

The interests of the individual lie in exercise of constitutional rights
and freedoms and provision of
personal security; in an improved quality and standard of living; and in
physical, spiritual and intellectual development. 

The interests of society lie in strengthening democracy; creating a
rule-of-law and social state; in
achieving and maintaining public harmony and in the spiritual renewal of
Russia. 

The interests of the state lie in the inviolability of the constitutional
system and of Russia's sovereignty
and territorial integrity; in political, economic and social stability; in
unconditional assurance of
lawfulness and maintenance of law and order; and in the development of
international cooperation on equal terms and to mutual benefit. 

Russia's national interests may be assured only on the basis of sustainable
economic development.
Therefore Russia's national interests in economics are of key importance. 

Russia's national interests in the domestic political sphere lie in
stability of the constitutional system
and of state authority and its institutions; in ensuring civil peace and
national accord, territorial
integrity, unity of the legal domain, and law and order; in completing the
process of establishing a
democratic society; and in removing factors causing and feeding social,
intercommunal and religious
conflicts, political extremism, national and religious separatism, and
terrorism. 

Russia's national interests in the social sphere lie in assurance of a high
standard of living for its people. 

The national interests in the spiritual sphere lie in preservation and
strengthening of society's moral
values, traditions of patriotism and humanism, and the country's cultural
and scientific potential. 

Russia's national interests in the international sphere lie in upholding
its sovereignty and strengthening
its position as a great power and as one of the influential centres of a
multipolar world, in
development of equal and equitable relations with all countries and
integrative associations and in
particular with the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and
Russia's traditional
partners, in universal observance of human rights and freedoms and the
impermissibility of dual standards in this respect. 

Russia's national interests in the informational sphere lie in observance
of its citizens' constitutional
rights and freedoms to receive and make use of information, in the
development of modern
telecommunications, and in protecting the state's information resources
from unsanctioned access. 

Russia's national interests in the military sphere lie in protection of its
independence, sovereignty and
state and territorial integrity, in the prevention of military aggression
against Russia and its allies and in
ensuring the conditions for peaceful and democratic development of the state. 

Russia's national interests in border policy lie in the establishment of
political, legal, organizational and
other conditions for ensuring reliable protection of the state border of
the Russian Federation, and in
observance of the procedure and rules laid down by Russian Federation
legislation for the carrying
on of economic and all other kinds of activity within the borders of the
Russian Federation. 

Russia's national interests in the environmental sphere lie in the
preservation and improvement of the environment. 

A vital component of Russia's national interests is protection of the
individual, society and state from
terrorism, including international terrorism, and also from extraordinary
situations, both natural and
man-made, and their consequences, and in times of war from the dangers
arising from the conduct and consequences of military action. 

III. Threats to the Russian Federation's national security 

The condition of the national economy and incomplete nature of the system
and structure of the
authorities of state and of society, social and political polarization of
society and criminalization of
social relations, the growth of organized crime and terrorism, and a
deterioration in intercommunal
and international relations are all creating a broad range of internal and
external threats to the country's security. 

In the economy, these threats are of a comprehensive nature and are caused
above all by a
substantial contraction in the gross domestic product; reduced investment
and innovation; diminished
scientific and technological potential; stagnation in agriculture; a
distorted banking system; growth in
the state's internal and external debt; and domination of exports by fuel,
raw materials and energy
components of imports by food and consumer items, including consumer
essentials. 

A weakened scientific and technological potential, reduction in research in
strategically-important
areas of science and technology and departure for abroad of specialists and
intellectual property
mean that Russia is faced with the threat of loss of its leading world
positions, decay of its
high-technology industries, increased dependence on foreign technology and
the undermining of its ability to defend itself. 

Adverse trends in the economy lie at the root of the separatist aspirations
of a number of constituent
parts of the Russian Federation. This leads to increased political
instability and a weakening of
Russia's unified economic domain and its most important components -
industrial production,
transportation links, and the finance, banking, credit and tax systems. 

Economic disintegration, social stratification and the dilution of
spiritual values promote tension
between regions and the centre and pose a threat to the federal structure
and the socioeconomic fabric of the Russian Federation. 

Ethno-egoism, ethnocentrism and chauvinism as manifested in the activity of
a number of public
formations, and also uncontrolled migration promote nationalism, political
and religious extremism
and ethnoseparatism, and create a breeding ground for conflicts. 

The country's single legal domain is being eroded by nonobservance of the
principle that the
Constitution of the Russian Federation should prevail over other legal
standards and that federal law
should prevail over laws of constituent parts of the Russian Federation,
and also by poor coordination of state management at various levels. 

The threat of criminalization of the society that has emerged from reform
of the socio-political system
and economy is becoming especially acute. Serious mistakes made in the
initial stage of economic,
military, law-enforcement and other reform, weakened state regulation and
control, imperfect
legislation, absence of a strong state social policy, and a decline in
society's spiritual-moral potential
are the main factors aiding growth in crime, especially organized crime,
and corruption. 

The consequences of these miscalculations can be seen in weakened
legislative supervision of the
situation in the country; in the merger of certain elements of executive
and legislative authority with
criminal structures; and in their infiltration of the banking system, major
industries, trade organizations
and supply networks. In connection with this, the fight against crime and
corruption is not only legal but also political in nature. 

The scale of terrorism and organized crime is growing because of the
conflicts that frequently
accompany changes of ownership and also an increased struggle for power
along clan and ethnic or
nationalist interests. The lack of an effective system in society for
preventing legal infringements,
inadequate legal and logistic support for the battle against organized
crime and terrorism, legal
nihilism and the departure of qualified personnel from the law-enforcement
agencies are all increasing
the impact that this threat has on the individual, society and the state. 

Stratification of society into a narrow circle of the rich and preponderant
mass of the needy and
increasing numbers of people below the poverty threshold and growing
unemployment pose a threat to Russia's security in the social sphere. 

A threat to the nation's physical health can be seen in the crisis in the
systems of public health and
social protection of the population, in increasing consumption of alcohol
and narcotics. 

The consequences of this profound social crisis are a sharp drop in the
birth rate and average life
expectancy, distortion of the demographic and social composition of
society, an undermining of the
workforce as the foundation for industrial development, a weakening of the
fundamental nucleus of
society - the family - and a decline in society's spiritual, moral and
creative potential. 

Deepening crisis in the domestic political, social and spiritual spheres
could lead to the loss of democratic gains. 

The fundamental threats in the international sphere are brought about by
the following factors: 

- the desire of some states and international associations to diminish the
role of existing mechanisms
for ensuring international security, above all the United Nations and the
OSCE; 

- the danger of a weakening of Russia's political, economic and military
influence in the world; 

- the strengthening of military-political blocs and alliances, above all
NATO's eastward expansion; 

- the possible emergence of foreign military bases and major military
presences in the immediate proximity of Russian borders; 

- proliferation of mass destruction weapons and their delivery vehicles; 

- the weakening of integrational processes in the Commonwealth of
Independent States; 

- outbreak and escalation of conflicts near the state border of the Russian
Federation and the external borders of CIS member states; 

- territorial claims on Russia. 

Threats to the Russian Federation's national security in the international
sphere can be seen in
attempts by other states to oppose a strengthening of Russia as one of the
influential centres of a
multipolar world, to hinder the exercise of its national interests and to
weaken its position in Europe,
the Middle East, Transcaucasus, Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific Region 

Terrorism represents a serious threat to the national security of the
Russian Federation. International
terrorism is waging an open campaign to destabilize Russia. 

There is an increased threat to the national security of the Russian
Federation in the information
sphere. A serious danger arises from the desire of a number of countries to
dominate the global
information domain space and to expel Russia from the external and internal
information market;

from the development by a number of states of "information warfare"
concepts that entail creation of
ways of exerting a dangerous effect on other countries' information
systems, of disrupting information
and telecommunications systems and data storage systems, and of gaining
unauthorized access to them. 

The level and scope of the military threat are growing. 

Elevated to the rank of strategic doctrine, NATO's transition to the
practice of using military force
outside its zone of responsibility and without UN Security Council sanction
could destabilize the
entire global strategic situation. The growing technical advantage of a
number of leading powers and
their enhanced ability to create new weapons and military equipment could
provoke a new phase of
the arms race and radically alter the forms and methods of warfare. 

Foreign special services and the organizations they use are increasing
their activity in the Russian Federation. 

Adverse trends in the military sphere are being assisted by delays in
reforming the military and the
defence industry of the Russian Federation, by inadequate funding for
defence and by a poor
regulatory and legal framework. At the present time, this can be seen in
the critically low level of
operational and military training in the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation and of the other
forces and military bodies and authorities, and in the impermissible drop
in equipment of the forces
with modern armaments and military and special hardware, and in the extreme
acuteness of social
problems; this leads to a weakening of the military security of the Russian
Federation as a whole. 

Threats to the national security and interests of the Russian Federation in
the border sphere are caused by the following: 

- economic, demographic and cultural-religious expansion by neighbouring
states into Russian territory; 

- increased activity by cross-border organized crime and also by foreign
terrorist organizations. 

The threat of a deteriorating environmental situation in the country and
depletion of natural resources
depends directly on the state of the economy and society's willingness to
appreciate the global nature
and importance of these issues. For Russia this threat is especially great
because of the domination
position in industry of the fuel and energy sector, inadequate legislation
for environmental protection,
lack or limited use of energy-saving technologies, and low environmental
awareness. There is a trend
for Russia to be used as a place for reprocessing and burying
environmentally dangerous materials and substances. 

Against this background the weakening of state supervision and inadequate
legal and economic
levers for averting and relieving emergencies are increasing the risk of
man-made disasters in all sectors of the economy. 

IV. Ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation 

The following are the principal tasks for ensuring the Russian Federation's
national security: 

- to promptly detect and identify external and internal threats to national
security; 

- to take short- and long-term action to avert and remove internal and
external threats; 

- to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian
Federation and the security of its border lands; 

- to improve the economy and pursue an independent and socially-oriented
economic policy; 

- to overcome the Russian Federation's scientific and technological
dependence on external sources; 

- to ensure citizens' personal security and constitutional rights and
freedoms in Russia; 

- to improve the system of state power in the Russian Federation, the
system of federal relations and
local self-government and legislation; to create harmonious relations
between communities, and to
strengthen law and order and preserve socio-political stability in society; 

- to ensure unwavering compliance with Russian Federation legislation by
all citizens and officials,
state bodies, political parties and public and religious organizations; 

- to ensure Russia's cooperation, especially with the world's leading
countries, on equal and mutually advantageous terms; 

- to increase the state's military potential and maintaining it at a
sufficient level; 

- to strengthening the regime of nonproliferation of mass destruction
weapons and their delivery vehicles; 

- to take effective action to identify, avert and intercept intelligence
and subversive activities by foreign states against the Russian Federation; 

- to fundamentally improve the country's ecological situation. 

It is an important priority of state policy to ensure national interests
and uphold the country's economic interests. 

The following are important tasks in foreign economic activities: 

- to pave the way for international integration of the Russian economy; 

- to expand markets for of Russian products; 

- to create a single economic domain with the members of the Commonwealth
of Independent States. 

Against a background of liberalization of Russia's foreign trade and
increased competition on the
global market for goods and services, there must be greater protection of
the interests of Russian producers. 

An important factor is a balanced monetary policy designed to gradually
reduce Russia's
dependence on external borrowing and to strengthen its presence in the
international financial and economic organizations. 

The state must play a stronger role in regulating foreign banking,
insurance and investment companies
and impose definitions and justified limitations on the transfer for use by
foreign companies of
Russia's natural resources, telecommunications, transport and production
infrastructures. 

Effective action must be taken in currency regulation, to pave the way for
an end to payments in
foreign currency on the domestic market and to end the uncontrolled export
of capital. 

The main directions for ensuring the national security of the Russian
Federation in matters of the domestic economy are: 

- legal support for reforms and creation of an effective mechanism for
monitoring observance of Russian Federation legislation; 

- strengthening state regulation in the economy; 

- taking measures essential to overcoming the consequences of the economic
crisis, and preserve
and develop scientific, technological and production potential; 

- effect a transition to economic growth with a diminished likelihood of
man-made disasters, a
transition to greater competitiveness of industrial products and to
improved wellbeing of the people. 

The transition to a highly effective, socially oriented market economy must
be carried out as a
gradual process of forming optimum mechanisms for organizing production and
distribution of goods
and services for maximum possible increase of the wellbeing of society and
of every citizen. 

The most pressing tasks in this respect are to remove structural
distortions within the Russian
economy, ensure high growth of output of high-technology products and
products involving a high
degree of processing, while supporting sectors which are the basis of
expanded output and ensuring employment. 

It is of great importance to strengthen state support for investment and
innovation, act to create a
stable banking system that meets the interests of the real economy, to
assist business to obtain
long-term loan finance for capital investments, provide real state support
for special programmes for the structural reorganization of industry. 

Vital tasks are to achieve rapid development of competitive sectors and
industries and expand the
market for science-intensive products. To this end, there must be
encouragement for transfer of new
military technologies to the civilian sector and a mechanism must be
introduced for identifying and
supporting advanced technologies which will ensure competitiveness of
Russian enterprises in the world market. 

This entails channelling financial and material resources into priority
areas of development of science
and engineering, supporting the leading scientific schools, and accelerated
creation of a science and
technology resource of completed research and a national technological
base, attracting private
capital including through the use of foundations and grants. It also
entails programmes for developing
territories with a high concentration of scientific and technological
potential, establishing with state
support an infrastructure ensuring commercial use of the results of
scientific research, with
simultaneous protection of intellectual property within the country and
abroad, and developing a
generally accessible network of scientific, technological and
commercialinformation. 

The state should promote the creation of equal development and expansion
opportunities for
businesses under all forms of ownership, including private enterprise in
all areas, where this is
beneficial to public wellbeing, scientific and educational progress,
society's spiritual and moral development, and protection of consumer rights. 

Ways of supporting the vital activities and economic development of regions
and areas of the Far
North that are especially subject to crises, and a tariff policy ensuring
uniformity of the country's
economic domain, must be developed in the shortest possible time. 

The priority of economic factors in the social sphere is fundamentally
important for strengthening the
state, ensuring real implementation of social safeguards based on state
support, and developing
mechanisms for collective responsibility, democratic decision making, and
social partnership. In this
respect, a socially fair and economically effective income distribution
policy is very important. 

Organization of the work of federal executive authorities and of executive
authorities of the
constituent parts of the Russian Federation in implementing specific
measures aimed at preventing
and overcoming threats to Russia's national interests in the area of the
economy also requires a
further improvement of legislation and assurance of its strict observance
by all economically active entities. 

A convergence of interests of the peoples populating the country,
organization of full and
comprehensive cooperation between them, and conduct of a responsible,
considered national and
regional state policy are very important tasks, accomplishment of which
will permit ensuring Russia's
domestic political stability and unity. A comprehensive approach to
accomplishing these tasks should
be the basis of the state's domestic policy and should ensure development
of the Russian Federation as a multinational, democratic, federal state. 

Strengthening of Russian statehood and improved federal relationships and
local self-government
should promote the national security of the Russian Federation. A
comprehensive approach is
essential for resolving legal, economic, social and ethnopolitical issues
while ensuring that the interests
of the Russian Federation and its components are observed. 

Implementing the constitutional principle of government by the people
requires assurance of the
coordinated functioning and interaction of all state authorities, an
improvement in the organization and
activities of representative entities, of strict hierarchy of executive
authority, and unity of Russia's
judicial system. This is ensured by the constitutional principle of
division of powers, by establishment
of a more precise functional distribution of powers among state
institutions, and by the strengthening
of Russia's federative system through improved relations with constituent
parts of the Russian
Federation within the framework of their constitutional status. 

The following are the fundamental directions for protecting Russia's
constitutional system: 

- to ensure the priority of federal legislation and improve to this effect
the legislation of constituent parts of the Russian Federation; 

- to develop organizational and legal mechanisms for protecting the
integrity of the state, and unity of
the legal domain and Russia's national interests; 

- to develop and implement a regional policy that ensures an optimum
balance of federal and regional interests; 

- to improve the mechanism for preventing the appearance of political
parties and public associations
that pursue separatist and anticonstitutional goals and for stopping their
activities. 

Efforts aimed at fighting crime and corruption require consolidation. It is
very much in Russia's
interests to uproot the economic and socio-political causes of these
socially dangerous phenomena
and to draw up a comprehensive system for protecting the individual,
society and the state against
criminality. 
The formation of a system of effective social preventive measures and
education of law-abiding
citizens is of a top priority task. These measures must be subordinated to
the interests of protecting
every person's right to personal security regardless of race, nationality,
language, origin, property
interests or official status, place of residence, religion, membership of
public associations or other circumstances. 

It is vital when fighting crime to: 

- identify, eliminate and prevent causes and conditions engendering crime; 

- strengthen the state's role as guarantor of security of the individual
and society, and create the legal
framework necessary for this and the mechanism for applying it; 

- enlist state authorities, within the bounds of their authority, in the
prevention of illegal actions; 

- expand mutually-beneficial international collaboration in law and order,
primarily with the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. 

Decisions made and steps taken by state authorities in the fight against
organized crime must be
open, specific, and understandable to every citizen, they must be
preventive in nature, they must
ensure equality of all before the law and inevitability of liability, and
they must rely on society's support. 

The development of a legal base as the foundation for reliably protecting
citizens' rights and lawful
interests, as well as observance of Russia's obligations under
international law in the sphere of
fighting crime and protecting human rights are needed first and foremost
for preventive measures and
for crime-fighting. It is important to deprive crime of the sustenance it
derives from shortcomings in legislation and the economic and social crisis. 

An effective system for financial control, enhanced administrative, civic
and legal levers and ways of
verifying the assets and sources of income and expenditures of state
officials and other employees
must be created to prevent corruption in the state apparatus and to
eliminate conditions for legalizing criminally acquired capital. 

The fight against terrorism, the drug trade and smuggling must be based on
a special state-wide set
of countermeasures designed to put an end to such activities. 

Using the framework of international agreements, there must be effective
collaboration with foreign
states and their law-enforcement and special agencies, and also with
international organizations
tasked with fighting terrorism. Broad use must be made of international
experience of dealing with
this phenomenon and there must be a well-coordinated mechanism for
countering international
terrorism, closing all available routes for illicit weapons and explosives
within the country and preventing their import from abroad. 

The federal state authorities should pursue within the country persons
involved in terrorism
irrespective of where acts of terrorism damaging to the Russian Federation
were conceived or carried out. 

Assurance of the Russian Federation's national security also includes
protecting the cultural and
spiritual-moral legacy and the historical traditions and standards of
public life, and preserving the
cultural heritage of all Russia's peoples. There must be a state policy to
maintain the population's
spiritual and moral welfare, prohibit the use of airtime to promote
violence or base instincts, and
counter the adverse impact of foreign religious organizations and
missionaries. 

A spiritual renewal of society is impossible without preserving the role of
the Russian language as a
factor of spiritual unity of the people of a multinational Russia and as
the language of intercourse among CIS member states. 

To ensure the safekeeping and development of our cultural and spiritual
heritage, socioeconomic
conditions must be created to promote creativity and cultural institutions. 

In the area of protecting and strengthening citizens' health there must be
greater attention paid by
society and by Russian Federation legislative (representative) and
executive authorities toward the
development of state (federal and municipal) insurance and private
healthcare, state protectionism for
the Russian medical and pharmaceutical industry, and implementation of
federal programmes in
preventive medicine and epidemiology, children's health protection,
ambulance and emergency medical care, and disaster medicine. 

The following are among priority directions for ensuring ecological security: 

- rational use of natural resources and fostering of environmental awareness 

- prevention of environmental pollution by raising the level of safety of
technologies connected with
the burial and recycling of toxic industrial and household wastes; 

- prevention of radioactive contamination of the environment and relief of
the consequences of earlier radiation accidents and disasters; 

- ecologically safe storage and reprocessing of arms removed from the order
of battle, above all
nuclear powered submarines, ships and vessels with nuclear power plants,
nuclear munitions, liquid rocket propellants, and fuel of nuclear power
stations; 

- storage and destruction of chemical weapon stockpiles in a way that is
environmentally safe and safe for public health; 

- creation of ecologically clean technologies, a search for ways of making
practical use of
environmentally friendly sources of energy, and urgent action in
environmentally-vulnerable areas of the Russian Federation. 

A new approach is essential for the organization and conduct of civil
defence in the Russian
Federation and there must be a qualitative improvement to the unified state
system for early warning
and removal of emergency situations, including its further integration into
equivalent systems of foreign countries. 

The foreign policy of the Russian Federation should be designed to: 

- pursue an active foreign-policy course; 

- strengthen key mechanisms, above all of the UN Security Council, for
multilateral management of world political and economic processes; 

- ensure favourable conditions for the country's economic and social
development and for global and regional stability; 

- protect the lawful rights and interests of Russian citizens abroad,
through the use of political, economic and other measures; 

- develop relations with CIS member states in accordance with principles of
international law, and
developing integrative processes within the framework of the Commonwealth
of Independent States that meet Russia's interests; 

- ensure Russia's full-fledged involvement in global and regional economic
and political structures; 

- assist in settling conflicts, including peacekeeping activities under UN,
OSCE and CIS aegis; 

- achieve progress in nuclear arms control and maintain strategic stability
in the world through states'
compliance with their international obligations in this respect; 

- fulfil mutual obligations to reduce and eliminate weapons of mass
destruction and conventional
arms, carrying out confidence- and stability-building measures, ensure
international supervision of the
export of goods and technologies and over the provision of military and
dual-purpose services; 

- adapt existing arms-control and disarmament agreements in line with the
new climate in
international relations, and also develop when necessary new agreements
especially for enhancing confidence- and security-building measures; 

- assist in establishing zones free of weapons of mass destruction; 

- develop international cooperation in the fight against transnational
crime and terrorism. 

Ensuring the Russian Federation's military security is a crucial direction
of state activity. The main
goal in this respect is to ensure an adequate response to threats which may
arise in the 21st century, with rational spending on defence. 

In preventing war and armed conflicts, the Russian Federation prefers
political, diplomatic, economic
and other non-military means. The national interests of the Russian
Federation, however, require the
presence of military power sufficient for its defence. The Russian
Federation armed forces play the
main role in ensuring the military security of the Russian Federation. 

A vital task of the Russian Federation is to exercise deterrence to prevent
aggression on any scale and nuclear or otherwise, against Russia and its
allies. 

The Russian Federation should possess nuclear forces that are capable of
guaranteeing the infliction
of the desired extent of damage against any aggressor state or coalition of
states in any conditions and circumstances. 

In their peacetime order of battle the Russian Federation armed forces
should be able to provide
dependable protection against aerial attack; to perform jointly with other
troops, military units and
entities missions to repulse aggression in a local war (armed conflict);
and to carry out strategic
deployments for missions in a large-scale war. The Russian Federation armed
forces should also ensure Russia's ability to carry out peacekeeping duties. 

One of the vital strategic directions in providing for the Russian
Federation's military security is
effective collaboration and cooperation with members of the Commonwealth of
Independent States. 

The interests of ensuring Russia's national security predetermine the need,
under appropriate
circumstances, for Russia to have a military presence in certain
strategically important regions of the
world. The stationing of limited military contingents (military bases,
naval units) there on a treaty basis
must ensure Russia's readiness to fulfil its obligations and to assist in
forming a stable
military-strategic balance of forces in regions, and must enable the
Russian Federation to react to a
crisis situation in its initial stage and achieve its foreign-policy goals. 

The Russian Federation considers the possibility of employing military
force to ensure its national security based on the following principles: 

- use of all available forces and assets, including nuclear, in the event
of need to repulse armed
aggression, if all other measures of resolving the crisis situation have
been exhausted and have proven ineffective; 

- use of military force inside the country is allowed in strict conformity
with the Constitution of the
Russian Federation and with federal laws in the event of emergence of a
threat to citizens' lives and
also of violent change to the constitutional system. 

An important role in ensuring Russia's national interests belongs to the
defence industry.
Restructuring and conversion of the defence industry should proceed without
detriment to the
development of new technologies and science-and-technology opportunities or
to modernization of
armaments, military and special equipment and the presence of Russian
manufacturers on the world markets. 

The way should be paved for organization of the priority fundamental,
forecasting and original
research, which ensure the existence of a promising and advanced
science-and-technology sector in
the interests of defence and the state's security. 

The following are principal tasks as regards border security: 

- to establish the required regulatory and legal framework; 

- to develop international cooperation in this area; 

- to counter economic, demographic and cultural-religious expansion into
Russian territory by other states; 

- to intercept transnational organized crime and illegal migration; 

- to engage in collective measures to ensure security in the border zones
of member-states of the Commonwealth of Independent States. 

The following are crucial tasks for ensuring the Russian Federation's
information security: 

- exercise of citizens' constitutional rights and freedoms in the sphere of
information; 

- improvement and protection of the domestic information infrastructure and
integration of Russia into the world information domain; 

- countering the threat of opposition in the information sphere. 

The use of intelligence and counterintelligence resources for the timely
discovery of threats and
identification of their sources is of particular importance when ensuring
the national security of the Russian Federation. 

The system for ensuring the Russian Federation's national security is
created and developed in
accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal laws,
Russian Federation
presidential decrees and directives, Russian Federation government decrees
and resolutions, and federal programmes in this area. 

The basis of the system for ensuring the Russian Federation's national
security consists of the
agencies and resources for ensuring national security that carry out
political, legal, organizational,
economic, military and other measures aimed at ensuring the security of the
individual, society and the state. 

The powers, composition, principles and operating procedure of the agencies
and forces ensuring
the Russian Federation's national security are defined in the relevant
Russian Federation legislative instruments. 

The following are involved in forming and implementing policy for ensuring
the Russian Federation's national security: 

- the president of the Russian Federation, who within the bounds of his
constitutional powers directs
the agencies and resources for ensuring the Russian Federation's national
security; sanctions actions
to ensure national security; in accordance with Russian Federation
legislation forms, reorganizes and
abolishes subordinate agencies and forces for ensuring national security;
issues messages, appeals
and directives on national security issues and in his annual message to the
Russian Federation
Federal Assembly specifies individual provisions of the Russian Federation
National Security
Blueprint and defines the directions of the country's current domestic and
foreign policy; 

- the Russian Federation Federal Assembly, which on the basis of the
Russian Federation
constitution and on representation by the Russian Federation president and
government forms the
legislative framework for ensuring the state's national security; 

- the Russian Federation government, which within the bounds of its powers
and in consideration of
priorities in the area of ensuring the country's national security
formulated in annual messages of the
president to the Federal Assembly, coordinates the activities of federal
executive authorities as well
as of executive authorities of the constituent parts of the Russian
Federation, and forms items of the
federal budget for implementing specific special-purpose programmes in
these areas; 

- the Russian Federation Security Council, which works for the advance
identification and
assessment of threats to national security, drafts operational decisions to
prevent them for the
president; develops proposals for ensuring the country's national security
and proposals on updating
individual provisions of the Russian Federation National Security
Blueprint; coordinates the forces
and agencies for ensuring national security; and monitors implementation of
decisions in this area by
federal executive authorities and authorities of the constituent parts of
the Russian Federation; 

- federal executive authorities, which ensure compliance with Russian
Federation legislation and
implementation of decisions of the Russian Federation president and
government in the area of
national security; within the bounds of their competence develop regulatory
legal instruments in this
area and submit them to the Russian Federation president and government; 

- executive authorities of the constituent parts of the Russian Federation,
which coordinate with
federal executive authorities in implementing Russian Federation
legislation and decisions of the
Russian Federation president and government in national security, and
implementing federal
programmes, plans and directives issued by the Supreme Commander in the
area of Russian
Federation defence security; with institutions of local government act to
involve citizens, public
associations and other organizations in helping to resolve national
security problems in accordance
with Russian Federation legislation; make proposals to federal executive
authorities for upgrading the system of ensuring national security. 

* *

The Russian Federation intends to decisively and firmly uphold its national
interests. The existing legal
democratic institutions and structure of Russian Federation state
authorities and the broad
involvement of political parties and public associations in implementing
the Russian Federation
National Security Blueprint serve as a guarantee of Russia's dynamic
development in the 21st century. 

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