Russia advances plan for bank staff to disable Ukrainian drones

Russian legislators have moved forward with a proposal that would permit specially trained bank workers to disable Ukrainian drones, as attacks inside Russia become more frequent.

The measure cleared its third and final vote in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house, on Tuesday, the state-owned TASS news agency reported. It would require banks around the country to set up electronic interference systems, while approved members of staff could act against approaching unmanned aircraft.

Since Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine began, Kyiv has increasingly used drone waves to strike Russian infrastructure. Moscow’s energy sector has been among the main targets.

The bill states that the move is intended to safeguard Bank of Russia sites, including locations in the “new constituent entities of the Russian Federation”. That wording refers to four eastern Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed, although it does not fully control them. The legislation links the proposal to a rise in sabotage and terrorism-related attacks.

Banks would have to pay for the protective equipment installed at their own properties. Because bank branches are present in towns across Russia, drawing them into the country’s air-defence arrangements could extend coverage over a wider area.

Interfax reported that the draft was initially introduced last August and was later broadened. Before it can take effect, it still needs approval from the Federation Council, the upper chamber, and the signature of President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has found it harder to defend its vast territory as Ukrainian long-range drones become more capable and attacks increase in number. As those strikes have reached farther into Russia, officials have pressed private businesses to help with defensive preparations.

Banks are not widely regarded as a chief target, but the plan includes Russia’s central bank and major financial institutions such as Sberbank, which is majority state-owned.

The lack of detail in the bill has prompted uncertainty about how the system would operate. Rolling out the equipment nationwide and preparing staff to use it would demand a major organisational effort.

The proposal also sits awkwardly with Putin’s wider attempt to keep ordinary Russians from feeling the everyday effects of the invasion launched in February 2022.

Under the draft law, bank employees would be allowed to interfere with or seize drone control signals. They could also damage or destroy unmanned aircraft, underwater vehicles and ground vehicles that threaten their facilities, without first waiting for security agencies to respond.

“Jamming will be used to make it more difficult for [the drones] to target and attack the relevant targets,” Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, told Russian media outlet RBK. “Plus, we’ll also use means to shoot down these drones, thereby protecting the relevant targets.”

Each bank or organisation would decide which staff members receive training to carry out the measures.