CONCEPT
OF NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
(ENDORSED BY THE DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION NO. 1300 OF DECEMBER 17, 1997
IN THE WORDING OF THE DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION NO. 24 OF JANUARY 10, 2000)
I.
Russia in the World Community
II.
The National Interests of Russia
III. Threats to the National Security of the Russian
Federation
IV.
Ensuring the National Security of the Russian
Federation
The concept of national security of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to
as "the Concept") is a system of views regarding the ways to ensure the security of the
individual, society and state in the Russian Federation from external and internal
threats in all the spheres of life. The Concept provides the most important guidelines
of the state policies of the Russian Federation.
The "national security of the Russian Federation" is understood to be the security
of its multi-national people as the carrier of sovereignty and sole source of power in
the Russian Federation.
I. RUSSIA IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY
The world situation is characterized by a dynamic transformation of the system of
international relations. Two incompatible trends have prevailed since the end of the
era of bi-polar confrontation.
The former manifests itself in the strengthening economic and political positions of
a significant number of states and their integrational entities, in the improvement of the
multilateral mechanisms controlling international developments. Here an ever stronger
role is played by economic, political, scientific/technological, environmental and
information factors. Russia is going to promote the philosophy of the creation of a
multi-polar world on this basis.
The latter manifests itself through the attempts at creating an international
relations structure based on the domination of developed Western countries in the
international community as lead by the U.S.A. and designed with a view to providing
unilateral - mostly by force and military might - solutions to key problems in the world
politics in circumvention of the basic norms of international law.
The shaping up of international relations is accompanied by competition as well as
by the striving of a number of states towards enhancing their influence on the world
politics for instance by creating mass destruction weapons. The significance of military
and sheer force factors in international relations still persists.
Russia is one of the biggest countries of the world with a centuries-long history
and rich cultural traditions. Despite the complex international situation and domestic
difficulties Russia by virtue of a significant economic, scientific/technological and
military potential, a unique strategic situation on the Eurasian continent objectively
goes on playing a major role in the world developments.
In perspective there is going to be a broader integration of the Russian Federation
into the world economy as well as development of cooperation with international
economic and financial institutions. Objectively there continues to exist mutual
interests of Russia and other states relating to many problems of international security,
including mass destruction weapons non-proliferation, prevention and settling of
regional conflicts, struggle against international terrorism and narcotics business,
resolution of acute global ecological problems including the problems of nuclear and
radiation safety.
At the same time a number of states are boosting their activities aimed at
slackening Russia's positions in political, economic, military and other fields. The
attempts at ignoring Russian interests when large international relations problems are
being resolved, including conflict situations capable of undermining international
security and stability, slow down the positive changes in international relations under
way.
In many countries including the Russian Federation the problem of terrorism has
suddenly become acute, such a problem having a transnational character and
threatening the stability in the world as causing the need for pooling the efforts of the
whole international community, enhancing the effectiveness of existing forms and
techniques of warding-off this menace, taking expedient measures for neutralizing it.
II. THE NATIONAL INTERESTS OF RUSSIA
The national interests of Russia encompass an aggregate of balanced interests of
the individual, society and state in economic, domestic political, social, international,
information, military, border, environmental and other spheres. Having a long-term
nature, they determine the basic goals, strategic and current tasks of the state's
domestic and foreign policies. The national interests are catered for by the institutions
of state power performing their functions for instance in interaction with public
organizations operating on the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and
law of the Russian Federation.
The interests of the individual imply the exercise of constitutional rights and
freedoms, personal security, the raising of the quality and level of life, physical,
spiritual and intellectual development of the man and citizen.
The interests of the society imply the strengthening of democracy, the building of a
social state governed by law, the attainment and maintenance of public conciliation,
the spiritual renovation of Russia.
The interests of the state imply the inviolability of the constitutional system, the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia, political, economic and social stability,
the unconditional safeguarding of law and order, the development of an equal and
mutually beneficial international cooperation.
The national interests of Russia can only be pursued on the basis of a steady
development of the economy. Thus, Russia's national interests in this field are a key
point.
In the sphere of domestic policy Russia's national interests imply the safeguarding
of stability of the constitutional system, state power institutions, the ensuring of civil
peace and international conciliation, territorial integrity, uniformity of legal space, law
and order and the completion of the building of a democratic society as well as the
neutralization of the causes and conditions fostering political and religious extremism,
ethnoseparatism and their consequences, i.e. social, inter-ethnical and religious
conflicts as well as terrorism.
Russia's national interests in the social sphere imply a striving for a higher
standard of living for the people.
The national interests in spiritual sphere imply the preservation and strengthening
of moral values of the society, the traditions of patriotism and humanism, cultural and
scientific potential of this country.
Russia's national interests in the international sphere imply the safeguarding of
sovereignty, the strengthening of Russia's positions as a great power - one of the
centers of influence of the multi-polar world - the development of equal and mutually
beneficial relations with all countries and integration entities, first of all, with the
member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russia's traditional
partners, a comprehensive observance of human rights and freedoms and the
rejection of the application of double standards to these matters.
Russia's national interests in the information sphere imply the observance of
citizens' constitutional rights and freedoms in the sphere of access to and use of
information, the development of up-to-date telecommunication technologies, the
protection of state information resources from unauthorized access.
Russia's interests in the military sphere imply the protection of Russia's
independence, sovereignty, state and territorial integrity, the prevention of a military
aggression against Russia and its allies, the bringing about of favorable conditions for
a peaceful, democratic development of the state.
Russia's interests in the border sphere imply the creation of political, legal,
organizational and other conditions for ensuring a reliable protection of the state
border of the Russian Federation, the observance of the procedure and rules
governing the pursuance of economic and other kinds of activity in the border area of
the Russian Federation as established by the law of the Russian Federation.
Russia's interests in the environmental sphere imply the preservation and
rehabilitation of the environment.
The following are the most important components of Russia's national interests:
protection of the individual, society and state from terrorism, including international
terrorism as well as emergencies of natural and man-made origin and the aftermath
thereof and in time of war from threats arising or resulting from hostilities.
III. THREATS TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The state of the Russian economy, imperfections of the system of organization of
state power and civil society, socio-political polarization of the Russian society and
criminalization of public relationships, growth of organized crime and scope of
terrorism, the sharpening of inter-ethnic tensions and aggravation of international
relations are creating a broad spectrum of domestic and foreign threats to this
country's national security.
In the economic sphere the threats are of a complex nature and they are caused
primarily by a significant decline in the gross domestic product, investment, innovation
activities as well as scientific and technological potential, stagnation of the agricultural
sector, disbalancing of the banking system, growth of foreign and domestic state debt,
the trend towards the domination of fuels and raw materials as well as energy
components in the exports and of foodstuffs and consumer products including staples
in the imports.
The weakening of this country's scientific and technological as well as know-how
potential, the decline in research along the strategically important lines of scientific and
technological development, and outflow of specialists and intellectual property to
foreign countries threaten Russia with a loss of advanced positions in the world,
degradation of scientific research-intensive production facilities, growth of external
technological dependence and undermining of Russia's defense capabilities.
The negative economic processes underlie the separatist aspirations of a number
of subjects of the Russian Federation. That leads to an increase in political instability,
a weaker single economic space of Russia and its most important components, i.e.
production and technological as well as transportation relationships, the financial,
banking, credit and tax systems.
The economic disintegration, social differentiation of the society, deterioration of
spiritual values assist in intensifying the tensions in the relationships between the
regions and the center acting as a menace to the federal system and the prevailing
social and economic practices of the Russian Federation.
The ethnic egocentrism, ethnocentrism and chauvinism manifesting themselves in
the activities of a number of public associations and also control-free migration add to
the growth of nationalism, political and religious extremism, ethnoseparatism and
foster conditions for the occurrence of conflicts.
The single legal space of this country is blurred as a result of the non-observance
of the principle of priority of the norms of the Constitution of the Russian Federation
over other legal norms, the federal legal norms over the norms of the subjects of the
Russian Federation, the lack of sufficient smoothness in the operation of the state
administration mechanism at the various levels.
The threat of criminalization of public relationships shaping up in the course of
social, political and economic reforms is getting especially acute. The serious
miscalculations committed at the initial phase of reforms in economic, military, law
enforcement and other domains of state activity, the slackening of the system of state
regulation and control, the imperfections of legal environment and lack of a strong
state policy in social sphere, the decline of the spiritual and moral potential of the
society are major factors adding to the growth of crime, especially its organized forms,
as well as corruption.
The consequences of these miscalculations manifest themselves in the slackening
of legal control over the situation in this country, in the merger of specific elements of
executive and legislative power with criminal structures, the infiltration thereof into the
management of the banking business, large-scale production, trade organizations and
commodity-supply networks. Accordingly, struggle against organized crime and
corruption bears not only legal but also political nature.
The scope of terrorism and organized crime are growing due to the change in the
form of ownership, the aggravation of the struggle for power on the basis of group and
nationalist interests that are frequently accompanied by conflict. The lack of an
effective system of social offense prevention, the insufficient legal and logistical
backup of activities aimed at preventing terrorism and organized crime, the legal
nihilism, the outflow of skilled cadre from law enforcement bodies enhance the effect
of this threat on the individual, society and state.
A threat to Russia' s national security in social sphere is posed by a deep
stratification of the society into a narrow circle of the rich and a prevailing mass of lowincome citizens, the growth of specific weight of the population living below the poverty
line, the growth of unemployment.
A threat to the physical health of the nation is posed by the crisis of public health
and population's social protection systems, the growth in alcohol and narcotics
consumption.
The consequences of the deep social crisis are an abrupt decline in birth rate and
average life expectancy in this country, the distortion of demographic and social
composition of the society, the undermining of labor resources as a basis for
production development, the weakening of the family as the society's fundamental cell,
the decline in the population's spiritual, moral and creative potential.
The aggravation of the crisis in domestic political, social and spiritual spheres can
lead to a loss of the democratic achievements.
The basic threats in the international sphere are caused by the following factors:
the strive of some states and inter-state entities to downplay the role of existing
mechanisms of safeguarding international security, primarily the UN and the OSCE;
the threat of weakening of Russia's political, economic and military influence in the
world;
the strengthening of the military-political blocks and alliances, primarily the
eastward expansion of the NATO;
a possibility of the occurrence of foreign military bases and large troop
detachments in the immediate vicinity of the Russian borders;
the proliferation of mass destruction weapons and carriers thereof;
the slackening of integration processes within the Commonwealth of Independent
States;
the occurrence and escalation of conflicts in the vicinity of the state border of the
Russian Federation and the outer borders of the member states of the Commonwealth
of Independent States;
encroachments on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Threats to the international security of the Russian Federation in the international
sphere manifest themselves in other states' attempts at impeding the growth of
Russia's strength as a center of influence in the multi-polar world, hinder the
pursuance of national interests and weaken Russia's positions in Europe, Middle East,
Transcaucasian area, Central Asia and the Asia and Pacific region.
A serious threat to the national security of the Russian Federation is posed by
terrorism. International terrorism has unleashed an overt campaign aimed at
destabilizing the situation in Russia.
Threats to the national security of the Russian Federation are growing in the
information sphere. A serious threat is posed by the striving of a number of countries
to dominate in the world information space, to oust Russia off the foreign and domestic
information market; the elaboration of an information war concept by a number of
states fostering conditions that have a dangerous effect on the information spheres of
other countries of the world; the breaking of the normal operation of information and
telecommunication systems as well as safety of information resources, the getting of
unauthorized access to them.
The level and scale of threats in the military sphere are growing.
The NATO's transition to the practices of power (military) actions outside of the
NATO's zone of responsibility and with no sanction of the UN Security Council
recognized as a strategic doctrine is fraught with a threat of destabilizing the whole
strategic situation in the world.
The growing technological break away of a number of leading powers and their
build-up of capabilities for the creation of new-generation weaponry and materiel
provide new prerequisites for a qualitatively new stage of arms race, a drastic change
in warfare forms and techniques.
The activities of foreign special services and the organizations used by them is
being stepped up on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Negative trends in the military sphere are being amplified by a protracted process
of reform of the military organization and defense industrial complex of the Russian
Federation, insufficient financing of national defense and the imperfections of the
regulatory legal environment. As of now this manifests itself in a critically low level of
operative and combat preparedness of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,
other troops, military formations and bodies, intolerable decline in troops' (forces)
equipment with up-to-date armaments, military and special materiel, in the extreme
acuteness of social problems and that leads to slackening the military security of the
Russian Federation in general.
The threats to the national security and interests of the Russian Federation in the
border sphere are caused by the following:
the economic, demographic and culture-religious expansion of adjacent states to
the Russian territory;
the stepping up of the activities of transborder organized crime as well as foreign
terrorist organizations.
The threat of deterioration of the ecological situation in the country and depletion
of its natural resources is directly linked to the state of economy and the society's
readiness to recognize the global nature and importance of these problems. For
Russia the threat is especially great due to the predominant development of the fuel
and power branches of industry, the low development level of legislative base for
environmental protection activities, the lack or limited use of environmentally friendly
know-how, and a low ecological culture. Russia's territory tends to be used as a place
of processing and dumping materials and substances being a hazard for the
environment.
Under such conditions the weakening of the state supervision, insufficient
effectiveness of the legal and economic mechanisms for averting and eliminating
emergencies enhance the risk of man-made disasters in all the fields of economic
activity.
IV. ENSURING THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The following are the tasks in the sphere of ensuring the national security of the
Russian Federation:
timely forecasting and uncovering foreign and domestic threats to the national
security of the Russian Federation;
implementing short-term and long-term measures for preventing and neutralizing
domestic and foreign threats;
safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation,
security of its border areas;
raising the economy of this country, pursuing an independent and socially-oriented
economic policy;
overcoming the scientific, technological and know-how dependence of the
Russian Federation on foreign sources;
ensuring the man's and citizen's personal security, his constitutional rights and
freedoms on the territory of Russia;
improving the system of state power of the Russian Federation, federal
relationships, local self-government and legislation of the Russian Federation, shaping
up harmonious inter-ethnical relations, consolidating law and order and maintaining
the social and political stability of the society;
providing a strict observance of the legislation of the Russian Federation by all
citizens, officials, state bodies, political parties, public and religious organizations;
maintaining an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation of Russia first of all with
the leading states of the world;
building up the military potential of the state and maintaining it at a sufficiently high
level;
consolidating the regimen of non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons and
the means of delivery thereof;
taking effective measures for revealing, preventing and stopping intelligence and
subversive activities of foreign states directed against the Russian Federation;
improving crucially the ecological situation in this country.
The safeguarding of the national security and Russia's interests in the economic
sphere are priority guidelines of the state policies.
The most important tasks in the foreign economic sphere are as follows:
creating favorable conditions for international integration of the Russian economy;
expanding sales markets for Russian-made products;
shaping up the single economic space with the member states of the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Under the conditions of liberalization of Russia's foreign trade and growing
competition on the world market of goods and services it is necessary to enhance the
protection of interests of Russia's manufacturers.
A most important significance is being acquired by the pursuance of a balanced
credit and financial policy aimed at step by step reduction of Russia's dependence on
foreign borrowing and strengthening its positions in the international financial and
economic organizations.
It is necessary to enhance the role of the state in regulating the activities of foreign
banking, insurance and investment companies, impose clear-cut and substantiated
restrictions in respect of foreign companies pursuing the mining of strategic natural
resources, operating telecommunications, transportation and commodities distribution
networks.
Effective measures are to be taken in the sphere of currency regulation and
control for the purpose of creating conditions for terminating settlements in foreign
currencies on the domestic market and precluding unlimited capital drain.
The following are the major guidelines for ensuring the national security of the
Russian Federation in domestic economic activities:
providing a legal environment for reforms and setting up an effective mechanism
for monitoring the observance of the legislation of the Russian Federation;
enhancing state regulation in the economy;
adopting the necessary measures for overcoming the consequences of economic
crisis, preserving and developing scientific, technological, know-how and production
potential, for bringing about economic growth and lowering the probability of manmade disasters, boosting the competitiveness of Russian industrial products, raising
the well-being of the people.
Transition to a high-performance socially-oriented market economy must be
brought about by means of step by step formation of optimum mechanisms of
production organization as well as goods and services distribution for the purpose of
achieving the maximum possible growth of well-being of the society and each citizen.
The tasks that are coming to the forefront are the ones relating to the elimination
of distortions in the structure of Russia's economy, arranging for an advance growth of
the manufacture of research-intensive products and high processing degree products,
with support rendered to the branches providing a foundation for extended
reproduction, provision of jobs for the population.
Of substantial significance are the strengthening of state support to investment
and innovation activities, the taking of measures for setting up a steady banking
system meeting the interests of real economy, providing an easier access for
enterprises to long-term credits towards financing capital investments, providing a real
state support to target programs of industry restructuring.
The most important tasks are the advance development of competitive sectors
and production facilities, expansion of research-intensive products market. To fulfill
them it is necessary that measures be taken for providing incentives for the transfer of
new military know-how to civilian sectors, a mechanism be implemented to reveal and
develop progressive know-how which, if commercialized, is going to ensure the
competitiveness of Russian enterprises in the world market.
The solution of the said problems presupposes a concentration of financial and
material resources along priority lines of development of science and technology,
provision of assistance to leading scientific schools, accelerated of scientific and
technological achievements and a national know-how base, attraction of private capital
for instance by setting up funds and using grants, implementing programs of the
development of territories having a high scientific and technological potential, setting
up an infrastructure with the state support to bring about commercialization of the
results of research and development works and at the same time protection of
intellectual property inside this country and abroad, development of generally
accessible scientific, technological and commercial information network.
The state must promote the creation of equal opportunities for the development
and boosting of enterprises' competitiveness, irrespective of the form of ownership
including the emergence and development of private business in all spheres where it
contributes in the growth of public well-being, progress of science and education,
spiritual and moral development of the society, protection of consumers' rights.
Within a short term there are to be elaborated mechanisms to support the life and
economic activities of most crisis-affected regions and areas of the extreme North as
well as a tariff policy ensuring the uniformity of the economic space of this country.
The priority of economic factors in the social sphere is of principal importance for
strengthening the state, real provision of social guarantees by the state, development
of mechanisms of collective responsibility and democratic decision-making, social
partnership. Here it is important that socially just and economically effective policies be
pursued in the sphere of income distribution.
The organization of operation of the federal bodies of executive power, the bodies
of executive power of the subjects of the Russian Federation aimed at implementing
specific measures for preventing and overcoming threats to the national interests of
Russia in the field of economy also demands a further improvement of the legislation
of the Russian Federation in the said field and making sure that it is strictly observed
by all economic entities.
The bridging of the gap between the interests of the peoples living in this country,
the bringing about of a comprehensive cooperation between them, the pursuance of a
responsible and well-balanced state policy in respect of nationalities as well as
regional policies will allow to ensure the stability of Russia's domestic policies. A
complex approach to the fulfillment of these tasks must make up a foundation for a
domestic state policy capable of ensuring the development of the Russian Federation
as a multi-national democratic federal state.
The strengthening of Russia's statehood, improvement of federal relationships
and local self-government must assist in safeguarding the national security of the
Russian Federation. There is a need for a comprehensive approach in addressing
legal, economic, social and ethno-political problems, given the balanced observance
of the interests of the Russian Federation and its subjects.
The implementation of the constitutional principle of power of the people demands
a coordinated operation and interaction of all the bodies of state power, a rigid vertical
executive power structure and uniformity of the judicial system of Russia. This is
brought about by the constitutional principle of separation of powers, by setting up a
more clear-cut functional distribution of powers among the state institutions,
consolidating the federal system of Russia by means of improving its relationships with
the subjects of the Russian Federation within the framework of their constitutional
status.
The following are the basic guidelines for the protection of constitutional system in
Russia:
ensuring the priority of federal law and improving the law of the subjects of the
Russian Federation on this basis;
elaborating the organizational and legal mechanisms geared to protect state
integrity, ensuring the uniformity of Russia's legal space and national interests;
elaborating and implementing regional policies as providing for the optimum
balance between federal and regional interests;
improving the mechanism preventing the setting up of political parties and public
associations pursuing separatist and anti-constitutional goals, and terminating their
activities.
It is necessary to consolidate the efforts aimed at fighting crime and corruption.
Russia is extremely interested in eradicating an economic and socio-political basis of
these phenomena that pose a danger to the society, elaborating a comprehensive
system of measures for an effective protection of the individual, society and state
against criminal encroachments.
Priority is given to the formation of a system of measures for am effective social
prophylaxis and for bringing up law-abiding citizens. These measures must be directed
towards protecting the rights and freedoms, morals, health and property of each
human being irrespective of race, nationality, language, origin, property and
employment position status, abode, religion, conscience, membership in public
associations as well as other circumstances.
The following are the most important tasks in the field of fighting crime:
revealing, eliminating and preventing the causes and conditions leading to crime;
enhancing the role of the state as the guarantor of security of the individual and
society, creating a legal environment required for this and a mechanism to implement
it;
strengthening the system of law-enforcement bodies, primarily the structures
countering organized crime and terrorism, creating conditions for their effective
operation;
having the state bodies, within their competence, to perform activities aimed at
preventing unlawful acts;
expanding mutually beneficial international cooperation in the law-enforcement
sphere, first of all with the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent
States.
The decisions and measures taken by the bodies of state power in the field of
struggle against crime must be transparent, concrete and understandable for every
citizen, they must be preemptive, ensuring equality under law and inevitability of being
held accountable, they shall rest on the support of the society.
For the purpose of crime prevention and fighting against crime it is necessary first
of all to develop the legal environment as a basis for a reliable protection of the rights
and lawful interests of citizens as well as observance of the international legal
obligations assumed by the Russian Federation in the sphere of anti-crime fight and
human rights. It is important to deprive crime of a nourishing media ensuing from the
faults of law as well as the economic and social crises.
To prevent corruption and eliminate conditions for legalizing unlawfully earned
capitals it is necessary to set up an effective system of financial control, improve the
administrative, civil and criminal sanctions, elaborate and test a mechanism for
verifying the property status and sources of income of the officials and employees of
organizations and institutions, irrespective of the form of ownership, as well as a
correspondence of their expenses and these incomes.
Fight against terrorism, narcotics business and contraband must be carried on on
the basis of a national comprehensive set of counter measures aimed at precluding
these kinds of criminal activity.
Being based on the international agreements, it is necessary to effectively
cooperate with foreign states, their law-enforcement bodies and special services as
well as the international organizations vested with the task of fighting terrorism. Also it
is necessary to use on a wider scope the international experiences of struggle against
this phenomenon, to set up a coordinated mechanism for counteracting international
terrorism, to put a reliable stop to all possible illegal arms and explosives trafficking
channels inside this country and from abroad.
The federal bodies of state power shall persecute on the territory of this country
persons engaged in terrorist activities, irrespective of where acts of terror have been
planned and committed, as damaging the interests of the Russian Federation.
The safeguarding of the national security of the Russian Federation includes also
the protection of cultural, spiritual and moral heritage, historic traditions and public life
standards, the preservation of the cultural wealth of all peoples of Russia, the
formation of state policies in the field of spiritual and moral upbringing of the
population, the imposition of a ban on the use of broadcast time in the electronic mass
media to distribute programs propagating violence, thriving on mean behavior
manifestations and it also implies the countering of the negative influence of foreign
religious organizations and missionaries.
The spiritual rebirth of the society is impossible without the preservation of the role
of the Russian language as a factor of spiritual unification of the peoples of the multinational Russia and the inter-state language of the peoples of member states of the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
For the purpose of ensuring preservation and development of our cultural and
spiritual heritage it is necessary to foster socio-economic conditions for the pursuance
of creative activities and operation of culture institutions.
In the sphere of protecting and improving citizens' health it is necessary to
enhance attention on part of the society, the bodies of state power of the Russian
Federation to the development of state (federal and municipal) insurance medical
assistance and private medical assistance, the pursuance of state protectionism in
respect of Russia's medical and pharmaceutical industry, the implementation of
federal programs in the field of sanitation and epidemiology, child health protection,
ambulance and emergency medical aid, disaster medicine.
The priority guidelines for state activities in the ecological sphere are as follows:
the rational use of natural resources, education aimed at fostering the ecological
culture of the population;
the prevention of environmental pollution through increasing the safety of the
know-how relating to the dumping and disposal of toxic industrial and household
waste;
the prevention of radioactive pollution of the environment, the minimization of the
aftermath of the radiation accidents and disasters that have occurred earlier;
the environment-friendly storage and disposal of decommissioned weapons, first
of all atomic submarines, nuclear-powered ships and vessels, nuclear ammunition,
liquid missile fuel, atomic power plant fuel;
the environment-safe and health-safe storage and elimination of chemical weapon
stockpiles;
the elaboration and implementation of hazard-free production facilities, a search
for the methods of practical use of environment-friendly energy sources, the adoption
of expedient environmental protection measures in ecologically hazardous regions of
the Russian Federation.
A new approach is needed to the organization and arrangement of civil defense
on the territory of the Russian Federation, a qualitative improvement of the
comprehensive state emergency prevention and relief system including a further
integration thereof with the similar systems of foreign states.
The foreign policy of the Russian Federation must be directed at:
pursuing an active foreign policy;
strengthening the key mechanisms of multi-lateral management of world political
and economic developments, primarily under the aegis of the UN Security Council;
fostering favorable conditions for the economic and social development of this
country, maintaining global and regional stability;
protecting the lawful rights and interests of Russian citizens abroad for instance
through the use of political, economic and other measures;
developing relations with the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent
States in keeping with the principles of international law, promoting integration
processes in compliance with the interests of Russia within the framework of the
Commonwealth of Independent States;
Russia's full-fledged participation in the global and regional economic and political
structures;
assisting in settling conflicts including peacekeeping activities under the aegis of
the UN and other international organizations;
achieving progress in the sphere of nuclear weapons control, maintenance of
strategic stability in the world as based on the states' performing under their
international obligations in this sphere;
performing under mutual obligations in the field of reduction and elimination of
mass destruction weapons, conventional weapons, implementation of measures for
strengthening mutual confidence and stability, ensuring international control of the
export of goods and know-how as well as providing military-purpose and dual-purpose
services;
adapting the existing arms control and disarmament treaties to the new conditions
of international relations as well as elaborating, if necessary, new treaties primarily on
measures for consolidating mutual confidence and security;
promoting the establishment of mass destruction weapon free zones;
developing international cooperation in the field of struggle against transnational
crime and terrorism.
The provision of military security of the Russian Federation is the most important
line of activity of the state. In this field the main goal is the provision of an opportunity
for an adequate reaction to threats that can arise in the twenty first century coupled
with rational national defense expenditures.
In the prevention of wars and armed conflicts the Russian Federation gives priority
to political, diplomatic, economic and other non-military means. However, the national
interests of the Russian Federation require a military might that is sufficient for its
defense. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation play the main role in ensuring
the military security of the Russian Federation.
The most important task of the Russian Federation is to provide a deterrent in the
interests of averting an aggression of any scale, including the one with the use of
nuclear weapons, against Russia and its allies.
The Russian Federation must have nuclear forces capable to ensure a
guaranteed infliction of intended damage to any aggressor state or a coalition of states
under any conditions and circumstances.
By its peacetime combat strength the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
must be capable of providing a reliable defense of this country against an air attack
and of fulfilling jointly with other troops, military formations and bodies the assignments
of countering an aggression in a local war (armed conflict) as well as a strategic
deployment to fulfill assignments in a large-scale war. The Armed Forces of the
Russian Federation must allow the performance of peacekeeping activities by the
Russian Federation.
One of the most important strategic guidelines in the field of providing the military
security of the Russian Federation is an effective interaction and cooperation with the
member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The interests of ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation
predetermine under appropriate conditions the need for a military presence of Russia
in some strategically important regions of the world. The deployment of limited military
contingents (military bases, naval forces) under an agreement and on international
legal basis as well the principles of partnership must provide Russia's readiness to
perform under its obligations, promote the formation of a stable military-strategically
balance of force in the regions and enable the Russian Federation to react to a crisis
situation at its initial stage, assist in the implementation of foreign policy goals of the
state.
The Russian Federation considers the possibility of using military force for
safeguarding its national security proceeding from the following principles:
the use of all forces and means at its disposal including nuclear weapons, should
it become necessary to ward off an armed aggression if all other crisis settlement
measures have been exhausted or turned out to be ineffective;
the use of military force inside this country is admitted in strict compliance with the
Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal laws in the event when there
occurs a threat to the life of citizens, territorial integrity of this country as well as a
threat of forcible change of the constitutional system.
An important role in ensuring the national interests of Russia belongs to the
defense industrial complex. The restructuring and conversion of the defense industrial
complex must be carried on without a damage to the development of new know-how
and scientific and technological capabilities, the upgrading of weaponry, military and
special materiel and the strengthening of Russian manufacturers' position on the world
armaments market.
It is necessary to create all necessary conditions for the organization of priority
fundamental, forecast and prospecting scientific research making sure advance
scientific and technological achievements are accumulated in the interests of defense
and security of the state.
The main tasks of the Russian Federation in the border sphere are as follows:
creating the necessary regulatory legal environment;
developing inter-state cooperation in this field;
countering economic, demographic and culture-religious expansion to the territory
of Russia on part of other states;
stopping the activities of transnational organized crime as well as illegal migration;
taking collective measures for ensuring the security of border areas of the member
states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The most important tasks of ensuring the information security of the Russian
Federation are as follows:
exercising the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian
Federation in the sphere of information activity;
improving and protecting Russian information infrastructure, integrating Russia in
the world information space;
countering the threat of unleashing confrontation in the information sphere.
Of special significance for safeguarding the national security of the Russian
Federation is the effective use and comprehensive development of the capabilities of
intelligence and counterintelligence for the purpose of timely uncovering threats and
determining the sources thereof.
The national security system of the Russian Federation is set up and developed in
keeping with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal laws, decrees and
orders of the President of the Russian Federation, decisions and orders of the
Government of the Russian Federation, federal programs in this field.
The foundation of the national security system of the Russian Federation is made
up of the bodies, forces and means that safeguard the national security through
implementing the measures of political, legal, organizational, economic, military and
other nature directed at safeguarding the security of the individual, society and state.
The powers of the national security bodies and forces of the Russian Federation,
the composition thereof, the principles and procedure of actions are determined by
applicable legislative acts of the Russian Federation.
The following take part in the formulation and implementation of the national
security policy of the Russian Federation:
President of the Russian Federation controls within the scope of his constitutional
powers the national security bodies and forces of the Russian Federation, authorizes
the actions of ensuring national security, sets up, reorganizes and abolishes under the
legislation of the Russian Federation the national security bodies and forces that
report to him, issues messages, addresses and directives on the problems of national
security, updates in his annual messages to the Federal Assembly specific provisions
of the Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation, lays out the guidelines
of current domestic and foreign policies of this country;
Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation under the Constitution of the Russian
Federation on the proposal of President of the Russian Federation and Government of
the Russian Federation makes up the legislative base concerning the safeguarding of
the national security of the Russian Federation;
Government of the Russian Federation within the scope of its powers and with
due regard to the Russian Federation national security priorities set forth in the annual
messages of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly
coordinates the activities of the federal bodies of executive power as well as the
bodies of executive power of the subjects of the Russian Federation, defines in due
course federal budget items for the purpose of implementing specific target programs
in this field;
Security Council of the Russian Federation carries on the work of detecting and
assessing in advance threats to the national security of the Russian Federation,
prepares operatively for the President of the Russian Federation draft decisions as to
the averting them, elaborates proposals in the sphere of ensuring the national security
of the Russian Federation as well as proposals for updating specific provisions of the
Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation, coordinates the activities of
the national security forces and bodies, monitors the implementation of decisions in
this field by the federal bodies of executive power and the bodies of executive power
of the subjects of the Russian Federation;
the federal bodies of executive power provide for the observance of the legislation
of the Russian Federation, decisions of the President of the Russian Federation and
the Government of the Russian Federation in the sphere of national security of the
Russian Federation, elaborate within their competence regulatory legal acts in this
sphere and lay them before the President of the Russian Federation and the
Government of the Russian Federation;
the bodies of executive power of the subjects of the Russian Federation interact
with the federal bodies of executive power on the issues of implementation of the
legislation of the Russian Federation, decisions of the President of the Russian
Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation in the sphere of national
security of the Russian Federation as well as federal programs, plans and directives
issued by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in
the sphere of the military security of the Russian Federation, carry on jointly with the
bodies of local self-government measures aimed at attracting citizens, public
associations and organizations to render assistance in resolving the problems of
national security under the law of the Russian Federation, introduce to the federal
bodies of executive power proposals for improving the national security system of the
Russian Federation.
The Russian Federation is going to act resolutely and firmly to safeguard its
national security. The existing legal democratic institutions, the prevailing structure of
the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation, the broad participation of political
parties and public associations in implementing the Concept of National Security of the
Russian Federation is a prerequisite for a dynamic development of Russia in the
twenty first century.