Putin allows Russian state to seize poorly protected infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a decree allowing the state to temporarily seize critical infrastructure if private owners fail to protect facilities from Ukrainian drone strikes or delay repairs. The measure targets energy, transport, and logistics sectors amid escalating Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and retail hubs like Wildberries and Ozon. While officials state this is not nationalization, analysts view it as an ultimatum to force private funding of security and repairs.

Putin infrastructure seizure decree

• ▪Under the August 24, 2026 decree, temporary administration of seized facilities would transfer to Russia's Federal Agency for State Property Management or another designated body.
• ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on August 24, 2026, allowing the state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure facilities deemed poorly protected.
• ▪The presidential decree signed on August 24, 2026, applies to fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport, and logistics facilities essential to Russian state security.

Ukrainian drone strikes

• ▪Since July 18, 2026, Ukrainian forces have attacked at least 24 warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, destroying significant storage capacity.
• ▪Russian online retailer Ozon announced on August 24, 2026, that Ukrainian attacks had targeted four of its logistics hubs in southern Russia.
• ▪Industry sources reported that Russia halted operations at the Perm oil refinery on August 24, 2026, following repeated Ukrainian drone strikes.
• ▪A Ukrainian drone attack overnight on August 24-25, 2026, damaged and halted operations at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region.
• ▪Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Russia's Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region overnight on August 24-25, 2026, causing a fire at the facility.

State control conditions

• ▪Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on August 25, 2026, that the decree was necessary because business owners often fail to ensure anti-drone safety.
• ▪Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov stated on August 24, 2026, that the decree involves state management for security, not nationalization or ownership changes.
• ▪The Russian state can seize physical and financial assets and ownership rights if facility owners fail to protect them or delay repairs after attacks.

Economic pressure on Russia

• ▪To manage its budget deficit during the war, the Russian government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing.
• ▪The Russian Finance Ministry proposed on August 24, 2026, extending tax and insurance payment deadlines for Wildberries and its sellers to provide financial relief.
• ▪Escalating Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have caused regional fuel shortages and disrupted domestic retail logistics.

Government response rationale

• ▪Russian political analyst Abbas Gallyamov stated that the decree serves as an ultimatum to force private owners to finance repairs of damaged refineries.
• ▪In May 2026, Russian lawmakers passed a bill allowing the Central Bank, Sberbank, and other financial services to install air defenses on their premises.
• ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on August 22, 2026, that Russia must improve its air defense system and streamline coordination between agencies and businesses.

6 sources