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MOSCOW: PREEMPTIVE STRIKES ON TERRORIST BASES COMPLY WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 3 (RIA Novosti) - Any possible Russian preemptive strikes on terrorist bases will not run counter to international law, the Foreign Ministry comment received by RIA Novosti on Thursday reads.
"Article 51 of the UN Charter confirms a state's unalienable right to self-defense. The right as seen today in light of new threats to international and national security includes, no doubt, the right to self-defense in case of a large-scale terrorist attack on a state," the message noted.
"Today, the right to self-defense arises not only from an attack by one state against another, but from terrorists' attacks as well. It is further reaffirmed by the UN Security Council resolutions adopted after Sept. 11. 2001," the document emphasized.
If a nation is attacked by terrorists and there are good reasons to believe that more attacks by the same source are imminent, the country in question is entitled to exercise its right to self-defense by taking relevant measures to eliminate or diminish the threat," the Foreign Ministry said.
"Such a military operation is possible for the sole purpose of protecting Russia's national security from direct danger and only if other measures fail," the Foreign Ministry noted in its message.