Kremlin Orders Companies to Self-Finance Drone Defenses
Russia's government has instructed firms to protect their own facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks, offering tax incentives while private firms invest in air-defense measures.
The Russian government has told businesses to secure their own factories and warehouses against increasingly frequent Ukrainian drone incursions, warning that sites that do not take protective steps could be temporarily taken over by the state, according to a report. Major companies such as steel producer Severstal have begun deploying air-defence systems, while online retailers Ozon and Wildberries are installing steel netting and other barriers at logistics centers. Job advertisements now list positions for guards and shooters trained to detect and engage drones, including roles on the Crimean Bridge that require contracts with the Defence Ministry.
To mitigate the financial burden, authorities are offering tax breaks and have allocated $2 billion to a state-controlled reinsurer to cover drone-related insurance claims. Postal workers have been authorized to carry weapons for drone interception, and cybersecurity firm Kaspersky is promoting AI-driven anti-drone packages. Coordination between industry, the Defence Ministry and the arms sector remains limited, even as spending on counter-drone systems is reported to have risen sharply in early 2026.
The attacks have also affected Russia's energy sector; Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure this year have disrupted refining and export capacity, prompting a surge in imports of seaborne oil products. Local officials confirmed a recent drone strike on the Ilsky oil refinery in southern Russia, though details were not released.