Russian parliament approves law granting central bank, Sberbank authority to counter drones

Russia's upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council, approved a law Wednesday that grants the central bank, its cash collection subsidiary Rosinkas, Sberbank and the Special Communications Service authority to independently counter drones in certain circumstances.

Employees of the organizations will be allowed to jam, disable or intercept drone control signals if an attack or threat of attack is detected against protected facilities or personnel.

The measure enables them to take action without waiting for intervention by specialized security agencies.

The central bank will independently determine which officials within the regulator and Rosinkas are authorized to make decisions on drone countermeasures.

The Russian government will establish a list of authorized officials and decision-making procedures for Sberbank.

The authority to counter drones has been limited to personnel from security services and officers of the National Guard, Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB), Federal Protective Service (FSO), Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).

The bill was submitted to the State Duma in August 2025 and passed its final reading on May 26.