The war between Russia and Ukraine has spread to civilian areas; Russia passes law allowing bank staff to independently purchase equipment to shoot down drones
How frequent are Ukrainian drone attacks? Russia has now allowed financial institutions to shoot down drones on their own.
Recently, Russia passed a bill permitting certain financial institutions to equip themselves with anti-drone weapons. In the event of a drone attack, these institutions no longer need to seek approval from the Russian government and can directly shoot down the drones.
Licensed institutions on the approved list include the Central Bank of Russia and Sberbank of the Russian Federation. Notably, Sberbank is the only private institution granted such authorization, as it also operates branches in eastern Ukraine—regions that have long been key targets for Ukrainian military strikes following their annexation by Russia.
The difference lies in who is authorized to respond: the Central Bank of Russia can decide independently which employees may operate the defensive systems, while Sberbank must obtain federal government approval for its designated personnel list. However, once approved, these employees are authorized to shoot down Ukrainian drones without further consultation.
This new law indirectly reflects the deteriorating security situation in Russia. With few exceptions in extremely remote regions, nearly every part of Russia has experienced Ukrainian drone attacks. Energy facilities and financial institutions have become particularly vulnerable and heavily targeted.
Given the critical importance of finance to any nation, this move by Russia represents a pragmatic response under difficult circumstances. After all, the Russian military cannot be deployed around every bank, leaving institutions with little choice but to defend themselves.
Notably, the cost of purchasing anti-drone equipment will be borne entirely by the institutions themselves—federal funding is not provided. Previously, some major corporations had requested federal assistance in covering the costs of defense equipment, but President Putin rejected these requests.
Money is one factor, but even more important is the principle: if you grant permission to one, then everyone else will ask too, leading to chaos across the country.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866421363144716/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.