Russia is expanding its system of protection against Ukrainian drones and is now involving not only military and security agencies, but also key financial institutions. According to Reuters, Russia has passed a law allowing the Central Bank, Sberbank and other financial organizations to operate anti-drone systems independently and to arm staff in order to protect facilities without the mandatory involvement of special forces.
The new measure shows how deeply the war has changed Russia’s domestic security infrastructure. Previously, protection against aerial threats was considered the responsibility of the army, the National Guard or special units. Now part of that responsibility is being shifted to institutions themselves. Financial organizations will have to deploy drone detection and suppression systems near their facilities and cover the costs of installing and maintaining them.
According to Reuters, such systems are expected to be placed near buildings belonging to Russia’s Central Bank, the country’s largest bank, Sberbank, and the Russian Cash Collection Association. Employees of these institutions will be allowed to carry weapons to repel possible attacks.
Anatoly Aksakov, head of the financial markets committee in Russia’s State Duma, was quoted by RBC as saying that financial institutions will pay for anti-drone protection themselves. This means the state is effectively creating a new security model in which strategically important civilian and financial facilities are expected to take partial responsibility for their own defense.
Ukraine has regularly launched drone strikes inside Russia since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Energy infrastructure has often been among the main targets of these attacks. Kyiv is seeking to reduce Russia’s revenues from energy exports and increase pressure on the economy that continues to finance the war.
Against this backdrop, Russian businesses are becoming increasingly drawn into the country’s defense system. On Tuesday, Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia’s most powerful business lobby, told Vladimir Putin that companies were ready to finance the purchase of heavier weapons and electronic systems to protect their infrastructure from drone attacks.
In effect, this points to the gradual militarization of the civilian economy. Major banks, industrial enterprises and infrastructure companies are increasingly becoming not only protected facilities, but also participants in the defense system. For Russia, this is a forced response to the new reality of war, in which drones can strike targets far beyond the front line and threaten facilities that were previously considered safely in the rear.
The decision to allow the Central Bank and Sberbank to organize their own anti-drone protection also suggests that the authorities see the financial system as a potential target. Strikes on banking, cash collection or payment infrastructure could have not only physical but also psychological consequences, deepening the sense of vulnerability inside the country.
At the same time, the new law may raise additional questions. Arming employees of civilian financial institutions and giving them responsibilities related to drone defense creates an unusual situation for the banking sector. Some tasks normally associated with state security are now effectively being delegated to major institutions and companies.
For Moscow, this is a way to strengthen protection without constantly involving special forces. For businesses, it means additional costs and a new area of responsibility. And for the Russian economy as a whole, it is another sign that the war is penetrating ever deeper into civilian life and changing the rules even for sectors that are not directly connected to the front.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Reuters. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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