Russia has warned its ally North Korea to stop threatening “preventive nuclear strikes” against others as it could leave the door open for an international military intervention based on the legal ground of the right to self defense. The Guardian reports: The Russian foreign ministry statement, which follows a North Korean threat to “annihilate” the US and South Korea, also criticises Washington and Seoul for launching the largest joint military drills yet to be held on the peninsula. “We consider it to be absolutely impermissible to make public statements containing threats to deliver some ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against opponents,” the Russian foreign ministry said in response to North Korea’s threats. “Pyongyang should be aware of the fact that in this way the DPRK will become fully opposed to the international community and will create international legal grounds for using military force against itself in accordance with the right of a state to self-defense enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” continued the statement, translated by Itar Tass news agency. Washington and Seoul launched their annual joint military exercises on the peninsula on Monday, stepping up the manoeuvres in response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January and rocket launch in February. But [...]