Russia: Combat operations against sovereign state without UN sanction

Combat operations against a sovereign state launched without a United Nations Security Council sanction will be considered as an act of aggression, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told journalists on Thursday. “I would like to cite our president who said that the sole body authorized to take a decision to use force against a sovereign state is the United Nations Security Council,” he said. “Vladimir Putin put it absolutely straight that any other actions against a sovereign state sanctioned by any parliament or a congress should and will be considered as aggression.” He said that meeting with US and Israeli defense attaches he had warned them against further fanning tensions in the Mediterranean Sea. “On behalf of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, I asked them to call on the US and Israeli defense officials to show restraint and prudence not to drive the situation to extremity,” Antonov noted. “Our common task is to preserve peace and stability in this region, to do our best not to let the situation become critical.”