Following a meeting on Tuesday, May 26, Russian business leaders requested state-supplied heavy weaponry and reservist units from Vladimir Putin to protect critical industrial infrastructure against escalating Ukrainian drone strikes.
Oligarchs Seek Military Reinforcements
During a meeting with Vladimir Putin, Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, requested that large-scale businesses be granted access to heavy weaponry and reserve soldiers. Shokhin argued that firms currently managing their own site security require better regulatory frameworks to defend against drone attacks.
The business request includes not only light 7.62 mm caliber arms but also sophisticated equipment such as electronic warfare systems and laser installations. Industrialists are criticizing the current, disorganized state of enterprise protection and are seeking to leverage a law passed late last year that permits the use of military reservists to guard critical infrastructure.
Kremlin Security Tightens Amid Drone Threat
The urgency stems from significant economic losses, with Russian oil companies reporting damages worth approximately 1 trillion rubles last year. By spring 2026, the reach of Ukrainian drones had expanded to cover one-quarter of Russian territory, including cities deep behind the Ural Mountains such as Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, and Perm.
In response to successful drone attacks that forced the shortening of the Victory Day parade, Putin dismissed the commander of the Aerospace Forces, Viktor Afzalov, replacing him with Colonel-General Alexander Chaiko. Reports from The Moscow Times and Financial Times indicate that Putin has since moved into underground bunkers, curtailed travel, and implemented strict bans on mobile devices and internet-connected equipment for his presidential administration staff.