Russian region creates special ministry just to deal with drone attacks
Russia launches ministry to protect key facilities from drone attacks (photo: Getty Images)
Governor of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region Gleb Nikitin has signed a decree reforming the regional government. The most notable change is the creation of a separate Ministry for Facilities Protection, prompted by regular visits by Ukrainian drones.
The newly created Ministry for Facilities Protection, together with the Ministry of Energy and Housing and Utilities, will be overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Tuzhilin, who has been transferred from one deputy prime ministerial bloc to another.
The governor explained the rationale without much understatement. According to him, the new bloc will consolidate responsibilities for both the Nizhny Novgorod region's contribution to the country's defense capabilities and the region's own security.
Among its tasks, Nikitin specifically mentioned "protecting the skies over the region" and safeguarding utility and energy infrastructure, which he said are "among the primary targets of enemy drone attacks."
In other words, Nikitin acknowledges at the official level that drones are reaching the region, that facilities are being damaged, and that the issue now warrants a dedicated ministry.
Notable that the reasons for creating such a ministry are quite practical. On May 18, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region — one of the facilities whose disruption has contributed to the shutdown of roughly a quarter of Russia's oil refining capacity.
More broadly, Ukrainian drones have been systematically targeting oil refineries deep inside Russia, and the Nizhny Novgorod region has long been among the affected areas.
