Russia Grants Banks, State Agencies Power to Shoot Down Drones

(MENAFN) Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, passed landmark legislation Wednesday authorizing a select group of state institutions — including the country's central bank and financial giant Sberbank — to independently neutralize drone threats under specific conditions, in a significant expansion of counter-drone authority beyond traditional security forces.

Under the newly approved law, personnel from the Central Bank of Russia, its cash logistics subsidiary Rosinkas, Sberbank, and the Special Communications Service are now empowered to jam, disable, or intercept drone control signals upon detecting an attack — or credible threat of attack — against protected facilities or staff.

Critically, the legislation removes the requirement to wait for intervention by specialized security agencies before acting, enabling these organizations to respond to aerial threats in real time.

Internal decision-making authority will be distributed differently across institutions. The Central Bank will independently designate which officials within the regulator and Rosinkas are cleared to authorize drone countermeasure operations. For Sberbank, the Russian government will separately establish a list of authorized personnel and define formal decision-making procedures.

Prior to this legislation, drone interdiction authority in Russia was strictly confined to personnel from dedicated security services, including officers of the National Guard, Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB), Federal Protective Service (FSO), Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).

The bill was first submitted to the State Duma in August 2025 and cleared its final reading on May 26 before receiving Federation Council approval Wednesday.

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