In all of its military doctrine documents since 1992, Russia has expressed concern that attacks on its early warning and space surveillance systems would represent a direct threat to its security. Therefore, a basic Russian national security objective is the protection of Russian space systems, including ground stations on its territory. These concerns derive from Russia's assessment that modern warfare is becoming increasingly dependent on space-based force enhancement capabilities. In 2001, Anatoliy Perminov, then Commander-in-Chief of the space corps, stated that the international trend of armed force modernization demonstrates "the continuously rising role of national space means in ensuring the high combat readiness of troops and naval forces." In practical terms, Russian military space policy appears to have two main priorities. The first is transferring to a new generation of space equipment capabilities, including cheaper and more efficient information technology systems. The second priority is the upgrade of the Russian nuclear missile attack warning system. Together, these recent developments are seen as having a critical role in guaranteeing Russia's secure access to space. Russia has expressed concern about the potential weaponization of space and the extension of the arms race to outer space, especially in light of the development of US missile defense systems. Thus, Russia has actively argued for a treaty prohibiting the deployment of weapons in space. In the interim, Russia has pledged not to be the first to deploy any weapons in outer space and has encouraged other space-faring nations to do the
same. However, various Russian officials have also threatened retaliatory measures to any country that attempts to deploy weapons in space.

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Collard-Wexler, Simon, Thomas Graham et al. Space Security 2006. Waterloo, Ontario: Space Security Index, July 2006. [ 26 quotes ]