Russian appraisal names US as threat

A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia’s national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years.

The document, “About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation”, was signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year’s Eve. It replaces a 2009 version, endorsed by then President Dmitry Medvedev, the current PM, which mentioned neither the US not Nato. It says Russia has managed to heighten its role in solving global problems. That heightened role has caused a reaction by the West, it says. “The strengthening of Russia happens against the background of new threats to the national security, which has complex and interrelated nature,” the document says. Conducting an independent policy, “both international and domestic” has caused “counteraction from the US, which is striving to retain its dominance in global affairs.” That in turn is likely to lead to “political, economical, military and informational pressure” on Russia, the document says.