Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow decree forces pvt companies to choose air defense systems to defend against drone attacks | Today’s news

Russia, which launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022, is now seeing the wide-ranging consequences of the conflict as Ukraine ramps up its drone strikes over Moscow. The threat is increasingly spreading from the battlefield into Moscow’s economy, forcing businesses to increase security, adapt operations and prepare employees for new roles.

Read also | US proposes new trilateral peace talks with Russia and Ukraine in UAE: Zelensky

Russian companies bring air defense systems: Here’s why

Last month, the Kremlin ordered businesses across the country to take measures to protect themselves, according to The Wall Street Journal. In an official decree, the Kremlin warned that any company that does not take responsibility for protection against Ukrainian drone attacks could face temporary seizure.

The decision came after a Ukrainian drone targeted one of Russia’s biggest steelmakers earlier this year, with company owner Alexei Mordashov deploying an air defense system to protect the company’s biggest plant on the outskirts of Moscow.

The move by steel giant Severstal is an example of how Moscow’s private industry is now drawn into the war and forced to fend for itself as Kiev steps up its strikes. The growing threat is affecting Russia’s economy, disrupting businesses and changing job duties, with security guards and even postal workers increasingly drawn into the effort to fend off drone attacks.

Russian companies lease air defense systems

Several businesses across Russia are now leasing air defense systems from defense companies or building their own, with some job ads showing companies now hiring gunners to shoot down drones.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the report noted the various approaches businesses across Moscow are now using to acquire air defenses. While some pay the Department of Defense to lease the system through monthly payments, others take the cheaper route and seek help from engineers at defense companies to build the systems for them.

Read also | Zelenskyy said Trump had made a “final decision” on Ukraine’s Patriot missile license

In the first six months of 2026, Russian businesses reportedly spent over 440 million rubles on anti-drone systems, a sevenfold jump compared to the same period the previous year.

Separately, Moscow’s finance ministry suggested earlier this month that it was considering tax incentives to offset the costs of private companies defending against drone attacks and repairing damage caused by strikes.

Moscow’s vast expanse, which once helped it defend against invasions by Hitler and Napoleon, now becomes a vulnerability, stretching its air defense capabilities over a vast landmass that is difficult to defend as a whole.

As a result, President Vladimir Putin’s government is now shifting responsibility for drone defense from the military to citizens. Earlier this month, a Moscow regulation said the country’s postal workers would be allowed to carry weapons to shoot down drones. However, it did not specify the type of weapons postal workers would be allowed to use.

Russian businesses publish ads for special guards

On Avito, a Russian classifieds platform similar to Craigslist, companies advertise positions for security guards tasked with patrolling facilities, monitoring the skies, detecting drones and shooting them down. One vacancy in the Moscow region offers a starting salary of 240,000 rubles a month, or nearly $3,000, along with signing and performance bonuses. Positions protecting the Crimean bridge, which connects Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, can pay more than double that. Some positions require workers to sign annual contracts with the Department of Defense while ensuring they are not deployed on the front lines.

Read also | Russia and Ukraine trade airstrikes after Trump’s cease-fire claims

Ukraine increases drone production

Kiev has recently significantly increased its drone production, allowing its military to carry out large-scale attacks deep inside Russian territory. Since March 2026, Ukrainian drones have launched about 200 attacks on Russian refineries and hit about 36 logistics centers, including the largest Russian online retailers Ozon and Wildberries.