Putin Grants State Takeover of Critical Infrastructure

President Vladimir Putin has issued decrees granting the Russian state the authority to take temporary or permanent control over critically important infrastructure that is deemed poorly protected against Ukrainian drone attacks and other threats, encompassing facilities in fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport, and logistics sectors. The measures allow the state to assume temporary administration and transfer physical and financial assets, and even formal ownership rights, if owners fail to protect facilities or repair damage promptly. The authorities are framed as a response to intensified Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, warehouses, and logistics hubs, with the Kremlin urging a program to rebuild damaged commercial warehouses. The decrees also enable oversight of energy infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, and authorize Rosimushchestvo, Russia’s state property agency, to manage these assets on a temporary basis. News reports cite specific targets, including warehouse damage at Wildberries and multiple logistics hubs of Ozon, underscoring the scope of the security concerns driving the policy. The announcements come amid what the Kremlin describes as growing security threats during Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine.