Moscow reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression by Western countries.

Axar.az reports this was stated by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu in an interview with TASS.

“In accordance with the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, if foreign states carry out unfriendly actions that pose a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it lawful to take symmetrical and asymmetrical measures necessary to stop such actions and prevent their recurrence" he noted.

According to him Russia is “closely monitoring the military preparations of European countries.”

Nuclear deterrence, as noted by the Security Council Secretary, “is applied to states and military coalitions that consider Russia a potential adversary and possess weapons of mass destruction or significant conventional armed forces.”

In addition, such measures also apply to states that provide their territory and resources for the preparation and execution of aggression against the Russian Federation.