Russia allows central bank, top lender Sberbank to down drones
New Law Permits Financial Institutions to Deploy Drone Defences
Legislation Overview
May 27 (Reuters) - Russia has passed a law allowing its central bank and other financial institutions to operate their own defence systems and arm staff to repel drone attacks, a document published by the lower house of parliament showed.
Recent Drone Attacks and Responses
Central Bank Hit in Crimea
Ukraine struck the central bank's office in Sevastopol in Crimea with a missile on Wednesday, local governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said, alleging that it was a British-made Storm Shadow missile. He added that the building was on fire.
Ongoing Drone Strikes
Ukraine has been regularly striking Russia with drones since Moscow launched the war in February 2022, with energy infrastructure frequently targeted as Kyiv aims to deprive Moscow of revenues in order to bring the conflict to an end.
Implementation of Defence Systems
Locations and Armed Staff
Drone defence systems could be located next to the central bank, the country's biggest bank Sberbank, and the Russian Cash Collection Association. Staff at those institutions would be permitted to be armed.
Funding and Responsibility
The institutions would handle the cost of drone defence themselves, Anatoly Aksakov, the head of the financial committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, was quoted as saying by the RBC news outlet.
Impact and Industry Reactions
Significance of the Sevastopol Attack
The attack on the central bank's office in Sevastopol was the first on a major central bank office since the start of the war. There were no reported attacks on major Sberbank offices.
Business Community's Stance
Support for Enhanced Defences
On Tuesday, Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia's most powerful business lobby, told President Vladimir Putin companies are ready to finance the purchase of heavier weapons and electronic systems to defend their infrastructure from drone attacks.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo and Gleb Bryanski in Moscow; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Gus Trompiz)
