"A litmus test for humanitarian law is the terrorist threat. Unfortunately, reality is that militant groups are able not only to deal pinpoint strikes, but also to engage in full-scale warfare. In doing so, they fully ignore not only laws, but also the elementary considerations of humanity. This clearly illustrates the issue: how to apply humanitarian law in the context of anti-terrorist moves, how to apply it in the struggle against those who do not recognise any law."
Vladimir Putin International Humanitarian Law Conference in St Petersburg