Russia approves shooting down hijacked planes without warning

In Russia they adopt a more direct, no-nonsense approach to dealing with problems the government wants addressed. This applies to rebels in Chechnya, to journalists who are too critical of the regime, or to retired KGB operatives residing in London. Here is the latest example: The government of the Russian Federation has approved a range of counterterrorism measures, including one which allows hijacked planes to be shot down without warning. The Moscow Times reports that the provisions were drawn up by the Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service and approved by the government last Saturday in an effort to tie up loose ends in a 2006 counterterrorism law.

Planes may be shot down and sea vessels destroyed without warning if authorities receive “reliable information” that they are being used to carry out a terrorist attack, Kommersant reported Wednesday. Previously, the military could only destroy planes and ships if they ignored official warnings. They can now also be destroyed without warning if there is “a real danger to people’s lives or of an environmental catastrophe,” according to the new provisions.