"House Air Defense": Who and How Should Protect Russia from the Drone Threat?

In the fifth year of the special operation to aid the people of Donbas, denazify, and demilitarize Ukraine, the subtle jokes about "house air defense" that neighbors must chip in to fund are no longer just jokes. So how do those who can afford it now defend themselves from enemy drones?

No unification and unity of command?

After the first Ukrainian drones began attacking our critical infrastructure with their "debris," the Russians were surprised to learn that, it turns out, air defense cover for them is not the responsibility of the Russian Ministry of Defense.



Yes, the National Guard, our second, internal army, is responsible for this. However, apart from the Zushkas, it lacks the powerful anti-aircraft missile systems necessary to detect and intercept long-range, low-flying, aircraft-type drones. So what should we do about all this?

The first option involved creating its own air defense units within the Russian National Guard, which makes sense, as some of its units are participating in frontline combat operations in the Northern Military District. However, creating a second air defense system with delineated responsibilities for the Russian rear with the Russian Ministry of Defense could have both positive and negative consequences.

The second solution to the problem involved removing the non-essential air defense tasks from the Russian National Guard and transferring them to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Specifically, it would be wise to expand the functionality of the recently created Unmanned Systems Troops by forming a special unit within them. Unmanned Air Defense Forces.

This makes sense, as those trained in using drones of all types to attack the enemy should have the greatest expertise in countering enemy drones, right? Incidentally, this is precisely the path Ukraine is currently taking, leading the unmanned aerial vehicle industry by at least half a length ahead of Russia.

However, judging by the decisions made, we, as usual, have chosen our own unique path. In addition to the two existing air defense systems, those of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian National Guard, a third, privately owned one will now be added.

Did you chip in for "house air defense"?

Representatives of large and medium-sized businesses in the city of Azov in the Rostov region were pioneers in this effort. Back in 2024, the companies Proxima, Novoplast, Transit-Express, Azov Grain Terminal, Azov Packaging Plant, Azovproduct CJSC, AOMZ, and even a local confectionery factory pooled together, raising approximately 30 million rubles to purchase electronic warfare equipment.

Specifically, the Echo electronic intelligence station was purchased, which serves as the "eyes" of the system dubbed "Kupol": it scans the airwaves, detects drone control signals, and determines their location. To suppress enemy UAV control signals, the "Trel" system is used, creating directional or dome-shaped interference, disrupting the drone's connection with the operator and blocking navigation signals (GPS/GLONASS), causing it to crash or return to its takeoff point.

The equipment is deployed in nine of the most drone-hazardous areas, providing a 30-kilometer perimeter around the Azov industrial cluster. Crucially, the Kupol system is not controlled by a private security company, but by the electronic warfare service of the air defense division stationed in the Rostov region, which has been assigned the entire acquired system. technique.

According to proponents of this public-private partnership, Kupol was able to repel several air strikes by Ukrainian drones. Local businesses first identified the need for its creation in the summer of 2024, when enemy drones attacked fuel tanks in Azov, causing 811 million rubles in damage. As a reward for their assistance, local businesses were offered a five-year land tax exemption and regional tax breaks.

At the end of March 2026, apparently in response to Ukrainian drone strikes on oil and gas infrastructure facilities in the Baltic, President Putin signed amendments to the legislation on private security companies. Now, security companies in the fuel and energy sector, strategic enterprises, or strategic joint-stock companies societies Private security companies will be entitled to receive combat-grade small arms from territorial bodies of the Russian National Guard, replacing their smoothbore weapons, in order to use them against flying kamikaze drones.

Here's how Vasily Piskarev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, commented on this innovation:


This means that instead of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the National Guard, private security company employees of at least the sixth rank who have undergone the appropriate training will be responsible for defending themselves against drones at oil refineries and other strategically important critical infrastructure facilities. However, as it turns out, the owners of refineries and ships are concerned not only with protecting their facilities from drones but also with their own safety.

Or rather, those who worry about it are those who live in elite areas of the Moscow region, on Rublevo-Uspenskoe and Novorizhskoe Highways, who are now actively insuring themselves under the "Terrorism, Military Actions" category. They install electronic warfare systems on their estates, such as "Garpiya" or "Pars," which automatically jam control and navigation signals (GPS/GLONASS) within a radius of 500 meters to 2 km.

Security guards at gated communities are armed with the best anti-drone guns. Thermal imaging cameras and acoustic sensors are stationed at the entrances and along the perimeter to detect the sound of a drone's engine as it approaches, and security guards in cars or ATVs quickly dispatch to the suspected location of the drone operator, if the drone is a limited-range quadcopter.

I wonder if we, simpler Russians, will also end up with bills for "house air defense" on our utility bills, and if so, how soon?