Putin tells Russian companies: Shoot down Ukrainian drones or we'll seize your assets

Do YOU have a story? Email William.G.Hallowell@dailymail.co.ukGet your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 12:52 EDT, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 13:50 EDT, 25 August 2026 Vladimir Putin has told Russian companies he will seize their assets unless they shoot down Ukrainian drones. He said the state can temporarily take control of critical infrastructure sites if private owners fail to protect them from attacks. In recent months, Ukraine has targeted Russian ports and oil refineries in a bid to cripple the economy. These attacks have caused widespread disruption and Mr Putin's warning on Monday comes amid increasing economic pressure and public frustration over Ukraine's new campaign.However, Ukraine has also seen relentless aerial attacks that have hammered its power grid ahead of winter and heavily damaged residential areas. Bosses of private companies in the energy, industrial, communications and transport and logistics sectors have all been warned by Mr Putin that their assets could be seized. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said 'often business owners do not pay enough attention to taking measures to ensure safety, anti-drone safety'.Amid the threat of continued drone attacks on critical infrastructure, he said 'we must take measures, we must ensure our own safety'. Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned private companies that their assets could be seized if they fail to shoot down Ukrainian drones A satellite image shows smoke rising from an Ozon warehouse as Ukraine widens a campaign of drone strikes on Russian e-commerce companies, in Enem, Adygeya, RussiaOver the past four days, Ukraine has targeted six e-commerce facilities run by Ozon. These attacks sent the company's shares plunging by nearly 30 per cent on Monday. Meanwhile 20 e-commerce sites run by Wildberries have also been hit by previous drone strikes. Abbas Gallyamov, a political analyst and Mr Putin's former speech writer, wrote on Telegram: 'If previously business owners faced only the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, they now face an additional risk. 'After the Ukrainians bomb you, the state may come to you, accuse you of failing to protect your asset from the attack, and seize it.' He added: 'Just imagine how this will boost the investment climate!'Mr Gallyamov also wrote on Telegram: 'Given the fact that the same refinery has already been hit three to five times, it's safe to assume that the owners are now reluctant to invest in restoring what's been destroyed.''Why spend billions if they're going to get hit again tomorrow?'He said the government is giving companies an ultimatum: 'If you don't finance the restoration of the refineries, we'll take them away from you.'However the Kremlin has already tried to curb fears about the extent of the special powers.Mr Putin's first deputy prime minister Denis Manturov said the decree does not imply nationalisation or a change of ownership.Instead, he said, the powers would allow the 'involvement of the state in the management of an enterprise to solve specific security problems'.Mr Manturov also said the decree 'doesn't imply widespread use' and that 'targeted, carefully considered decisions will be made at the highest level'.It comes after Ukraine's general staff said on Tuesday that its forces had struck Russia's Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region overnight, starting a fire. Ukrainian drones also damaged the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in southern Russia's Rostov region overnight and halted operations.Monday night's attack marked the eighth time in a year that the Afipsky refinery has been targeted and the fourth time for the Novoshakhtinsk site, according to data from Ukraine's general staff.