RUSSIA will perceive any ballistic missile launched at its territory as warranting nuclear retaliation, the military warned in an article published today.

The harsh warning in the official military newspaper Red Star is directed at the United States government, which pulled out of the cold-war era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last August.

The article follows the publication in June of Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy, which envisages the use of atomic weapons in response to what could be a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.