Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that would allow the state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure if private owners fail to safeguard it against Ukrainian drone attacks or restore it after strikes. The decree, announced late on Monday, is aimed at infrastructure deemed essential to national security and economic stability. It covers a range of sectors, including energy and fuel facilities, industrial sites, communications, transport and logistics. Scope Of The decreeThe measure applies where private operators do not meet security requirements linked to drone threats, or where repair work is not carried out following attacks. It is designed to enable government involvement for a limited period while specific security problems are addressed. Russia has faced months of increasingly intensive Ukrainian strikes targeting sites across the country. Kyiv has used long-range domestically developed drones to hit oil infrastructure and other vital facilities, contributing to fuel shortages and disrupting major commercial centres. At the same time, Ukraine has been subject to repeated Russian aerial attacks that have damaged homes and struck the power grid ahead of winter preparations, as the war entered its fifth year. Kremlin Says It Is Not NationalisationThe Kremlin said the decree does not amount to nationalisation of companies or a change of ownership. Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister, said the government’s role would be limited to “involvement of the state in the management of an enterprise” to solve specific security issues. Manturov added that the mechanism would not be used broadly and would involve “targeted, carefully considered decisions” at the highest level. The Kremlin’s aim has not been fully clarified. However, the sectors listed in the decree extend beyond oil and energy to include industrial, communications and transport-linked assets. Pressure On Owners And Security MotivesA Russian political analyst, Abbas Gallyamov, said the move could be a tactical way to push owners of repeatedly struck facilities to finance repairs rather than delay investment. He argued that if refineries have already been hit multiple times, owners may hesitate to fund reconstruction they fear could be damaged again. Gallyamov said the effect for business could be an ultimatum: if companies do not pay for restoration, the state may take control of the assets under the decree. He also suggested that the Kremlin could be seeking additional pressure on firms to do more on air defence, given the difficulty of protecting large parts of Russia comprehensively. Latest Strikes And Other MeasuresUkraine’s General Staff said on Tuesday its forces struck facilities connected to the Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region overnight, causing a fire. Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev said a blaze broke out at an oil refinery in the town of Afipsky. Russia has also sought to cushion the wider economic impact of the conflict. The government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep the budget deficit under control, while the decree could potentially generate additional revenue if damaged assets are brought under state management. Separately, the Finance Ministry proposed on Monday extending deadlines for tax and insurance payments for Wildberries and businesses selling through the platform. The proposal followed Ukrainian strikes on warehouse sites linked to the retailer that hit both the company and thousands of associated sellers. In May, as deep Ukrainian drone strikes unsettled Moscow, Russian lawmakers approved a bill allowing the Central Bank, state-controlled Sberbank and other financial services to install air-defence systems on their premises to fend off drone attacks. RBC reported in May, citing anonymous sources within and close to Russia’s Defence Ministry, that a mechanism had been set up for businesses to procure weapons and equipment to protect against Ukrainian drones, a step Russian officials and lawmakers have said companies should be able to take. Join the discussion? 25 August 2026
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