Moscow: President Dmitry Medvedev has signed country’s new military doctrine which allows preventive nuclear strikes against potential aggressors.

''The President informed the members of Russia's Security Council yesterday that he has approved two documents - the military doctrine and the Fundamentals of the state policy on nuclear deterrence until 2020,'' presidential press secretary Natalia Timakova said.

''Military conflicts will be transient and selective, with a high degree of damage caused to targets, manoeuvrable troops and fire, and with the use of various mobile groups of troops (forces),'' the doctrine which was published on the Kremlin website, said.

''The seizure of strategic initiative, dominance on the ground, at sea, and in aerospace will be the decisive factors in attaining goals,'' it said.

''Military actions will be characterised by growing significance of high-precision, electromagnetic, laser, and infrasonic weapons, information control systems, unmanned aerial and autonomous sea vehicles, and guided robotised types of weapons and military hardware,'' it said.

''Nuclear weapons will remain an important factor in preventing nuclear military conflicts and major conflicts with the use of conventional means of destruction (a large-scale or a regional war),'' it noted.

''In case of emergence of a military conflict with the use of conventional means of destruction endangering the very existence of a state, the possession of nuclear weapons may cause such a military conflict to grow into a nuclear military conflict,'' the document said.

According to Russian officials, the adjustment of the Russia's military doctrine was prompted by real threats and challenges faced by the country.

Russia's nuclear triad comprises land-based ballistic missile systems, nuclear-powered submarines equipped with sea-based ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers carrying nuclear bombs and nuclear-capable cruise missiles.

Under the new doctrine, Russia will continue developing and modernising its nuclear triad, increasing its capability to overcome missile defences of a potential enemy.

The new military doctrine also aims to transform the Armed Forces into a more effective and mobile military force. Their structures will be ''optimised'' through the use of combined arms units performing similar tasks.