The working group focusing on air defense has introduced to the State Duma a draft law that would grant private security firms the authority to counter unmanned aerial vehicles at fuel and energy facilities. This information was published on the party’s official site by Andrei Turchak, who heads the General Council of United Russia’s General Secretary office.
The draft also aims to clarify what constitutes a security zone and would expand this definition to include the airspace over the territory in question. At present, private security personnel guarding these critical facilities do not have the legal right to shoot down drones.
Turchak noted that currently only employees of law enforcement agencies, departmental security services, and private security companies protecting facilities with stringent anti-terror measures are permitted to act against drone threats.
He stressed that since the onset of hostilities in the Northern War era, fuel and energy sites have repeatedly been targets for sabotage. In the first half of this year alone, nearly fifty such incidents were recorded. While private security protects most oil storage depots, substations, and related critical infrastructure, it lacks the legal mandate to counter drones. The proposed bill would rectify this gap, giving security personnel a defined path to respond to drone intrusions.
It is worth recalling that the working group on security and defense matters was established by presidential order. The group is chaired by Andrei Turchak, the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council, and includes representatives from both chambers of parliament, multiple parties, the Ministry of Defense, and leaders from public organizations and frontline media correspondents. The assembly aims to harmonize security policies, ensure rapid coordination among agencies, and address evolving threats to national infrastructure.