Putin Signs Decree Allowing Temporary State Management of Critical Infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on August 24 that allows the state to impose temporary management on critical infrastructure facilities if their owners fail to protect them from security threats, including drone attacks. The decree applies to sectors such as fuel, energy, electric power, industry, communications, utilities, and transportation and logistics. Temporary management may be granted to Rosimushchestvo or another government designated entity, providing the administrator rights to the owner's real estate, securities, and other property.

First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov stated that the measure is not about nationalization or a change in ownership. He described it as the state stepping in to address specific security tasks when business owners fail to prioritize the safety of facilities and employees. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov added that the measure is a response to the aggressive policy of the West and the threat of drone attacks against installations critical to the economy and social sphere. He emphasized that the application of the decree will be targeted and decided at the highest level.

Center left sources frame the event as a potential state takeover of infrastructure, focusing on the specific legal triggers for external management and the broad definition of critical facilities. In contrast, center right coverage frames the event as a necessary defense of national security against Ukrainian drone attacks and Western belligerence.

The decree follows repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil sites and logistics centers, including those belonging to the e commerce company Wildberries. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian commercial sector has significantly increased its spending on anti drone systems, with some companies forming mobile response units costing between 600,000 and 850,000 dollars.