Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved six changes to its experimental private air-defence programme, expanding the role of companies in protecting critical infrastructure and regulating their use of interceptor drones.
Under the revised rules, participating companies can now provide airdefence protection for other businesses’ facilities under contract, as well as transfer air-defence assets between companies following a joint decision with the Air Force Command.
The changes also expand the use of interceptor drones by regulating companies’ use of warheads and electric detonators. Crewed aircraft can now also be included in private air-defence groups.
The programme operates under military command as part of Ukraine’s unified air-defence system. Nearly 100 companies had joined by mid-October, with their groups having destroyed more than 60 aerial targets, including Shahed-type attack drones and Zala reconnaissance UAVs, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The initiative is intended to expand protection for company personnel, production facilities and energy infrastructure regularly targeted by Russian UAVs, while increasing air-defence capacity without adding to the burden on the armed forces.
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Image: New criteria have been added for companies to join private air defence (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)
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