Russia's State Duma has adopted a law that permits bank employees to use electronic warfare equipment to intercept and destroy Ukrainian drones, a move that underscores the Kremlin's mounting difficulties in protecting its territory from aerial attacks. The bill, passed on Tuesday, allows selected staff at financial institutions to jam or intercept drone control signals and neutralize unmanned aerial, underwater, and ground vehicles that pose a threat to their facilities, without waiting for security services to respond.
The legislation is highly unusual in granting civilians powers typically reserved for the military and law enforcement. Until now, such authority was held exclusively by militarized agencies like Rosgvardiya, Russia's National Guard. The bill must still be approved by the Federation Council and signed by President Vladimir Putin before it becomes law.
Scope and Implications
The original draft, introduced in August 2024, covered only the Bank of Russia and the state cash-collection agency Rosinkas. The final version extends the framework to Sberbank—Russia's largest bank, in which the state holds a controlling stake—and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Main Centre for Special Communications. Banks will bear the cost of installing electronic warfare equipment at their sites.
Thomas Withington, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told the Associated Press that the new measures may indicate that "military-level drone defense capabilities in Russia are failing, because if they were working you wouldn’t need to do that." He added that "this situation is not improving for Russia," noting Moscow's struggle to keep pace with Ukrainian drone innovations. The measure seeks to "try and offload some of the burden of drone protection to the non-military, non-law enforcement sectors," which are under strain, he said.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory have accelerated sharply in 2026. By early 2026, Ukrainian drones were carrying out around four separate strikes per night against targets inside Russia, roughly double the pace of late 2025, with swarms of 100 to 200 aircraft regularly crossing into Russian airspace, according to analysis by the Kyiv Post. Strikes have reached targets as far away as the Caspian Sea and western Siberia. In a rare step away from its projections of invincibility, the Kremlin has acknowledged it cannot reliably intercept them.
The authors of the bill stated that the aim is to protect valuables in transit, precious metals, and classified documents. Russian banks have not been a target of Ukrainian drones during more than four years of war following Moscow's full-scale invasion in early 2022. The lack of detail in the bill has raised questions about how it would work in practice. Mass installation of electronic warfare equipment and training staff to operate it would require a substantial organizational effort.
This development comes amid broader European concerns about Russia's hybrid warfare tactics, as highlighted by GCHQ Director Warns AI Is an Unstoppable Force as Russia Intensifies Hybrid Attacks. The EU has also been grappling with its response to Russian aggression, as seen in EU Ministers Warn Against Falling Into Russia's Trap Over Envoy Debate.
As the war enters its fifth year, the authorization of civilian bank employees to engage in drone defense is a stark indicator of the strain on Russia's military resources. The move reflects a broader trend of offloading security responsibilities onto non-military sectors, raising questions about the effectiveness of Russia's overall defense strategy.
