MOSCOW — Russia’s lower house of parliament approved a draft bill requiring banks to install electronic jamming systems and train employees to shoot down Ukrainian drones. The measure, reported by state news agency Interfax, allows bank personnel to jam or intercept drone control signals and destroy unmanned aerial, underwater, and ground vehicles threatening their facilities without waiting for security services.

The draft bill must still be approved by Russia’s upper house Federation Council and signed by President Vladimir Putin before it becomes law. It includes Russian banks such as the central bank and majority state-owned Sberbank. Each organization would determine which employees receive training to deploy anti-drone measures.

Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, said jamming would make it harder for drones to target relevant sites and that means to shoot down drones would also be used. The legislation seeks to offload some of the burden of drone protection to non-military and non-law enforcement sectors as Ukrainian drone attacks have intensified in depth and frequency.

Russia is struggling to protect its large territory from an increasing number of attacks by increasingly sophisticated Ukrainian long-range drones. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian oil facilities and manufacturing plants using domestically produced drones, though Russian banks have not been a prime target since the 2022 invasion.

Thomas Withington, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said the draft bill indicates that Russia’s military-level drone defense capabilities are failing. He added that Moscow is struggling to keep up with Ukrainian drone innovations and the situation is not improving for Russia. The widespread installation of anti-drone equipment and staff training would require a major organizational effort.

Russian authorities have encouraged businesses to contribute to protective measures against aerial strikes. Involving regular citizens in air defense measures could contradict President Putin’s efforts to shield Russians from the visible consequences of the war.