MOSCOW, Aug 24 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Monday handed the Russian state the power to take control of critically important infrastructure if it is deemed to be poorly protected from Ukrainian drone attacks and other threats.
The special powers, set out in a presidential decree, will allow the state to take over temporary administration of such facilities at a time when Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil refineries and retail warehouses.
The state will be able to take control of physical and financial assets and formal ownership rights if entities responsible for such facilities are judged to have failed in their duty to protect them and are too slow to repair them after any attack, according to the decree.
It applies to fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities and other objects regarded as critically-important for ensuring the security and economic stability of the state and the population.
First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said the measure should not be viewed as a precursor to nationalisation and would not be used on a broad scale.
“This does not involve nationalisation or a change of ownership. The decree provides for the state to take part in managing an enterprise in order to address specific security issues,” Manturov was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Putin last week ordered the government to launch a programme to rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukraine in recent weeks.
Kyiv has attacked at least two dozen warehouses belonging to Russia’s top online retailer Wildberries since July 18, destroying a large chunk of its storage capacity. On Monday, Russia’s second-largest online retailer Ozon, said four of its logistics hubs in southern Russia had been targeted in Ukrainian attacks.
(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson)
