Russia Tells Companies to Defend Themselves

Key Points:

• The Kremlin has instructed Russian factories and warehouses to secure their own sites against increasing Ukrainian drone attacks or face temporary state takeover, prompting companies like Severstal and retailers such as Ozon and Wildberries to implement air-defense measures.
• Job listings now demand guards and trained gunners to counter drones, with some positions on the Crimean Bridge offering high pay and requiring Defense Ministry contracts.
• The Russian government is offering tax breaks and injecting $2 billion into a reinsurer to manage rising drone-related insurance claims, while postal workers have been authorized to carry weapons for drone defense.
• Despite a nearly sevenfold increase in spending on counterdrone systems in early 2026, coordination between industry, the Defense Ministry, and the arms sector remains inconsistent, and companies are not required to fully disclose their protective expenditures.
• Ukrainian drone attacks have significantly disrupted Russia’s oil infrastructure, forcing Russia to drastically increase oil imports, highlighted by a recent attack on the Ilsky oil refinery in southern Russia.