Russian gas giant Gazprom has reached an agreement with the Defense Ministry to create mobile firing groups tasked with protecting the company's infrastructure, including from Ukrainian drone attacks, independent outlet Ekho reported, citing internal company documents.
The move highlights Moscow's growing efforts to harden critical energy infrastructure against increasingly frequent long-range drone strikes, which have disrupted oil and gas facilities across Russia since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Rather than relying solely on regular military forces, authorities have increasingly turned to regional volunteer units and reserve formations to bolster air defense around strategic sites.
According to the documents, volunteers would undergo medical examinations, a rigorous selection process and two months of training before signing three-year contracts to join Russia's mobilization reserve. The arrangement would allow participants to continue their civilian jobs while periodically attending military training.
The primary mission of the mobile firing groups would be to patrol and protect Gazprom's gas infrastructure, the documents said. During training exercises, reservists could also be assigned to guard other critical infrastructure, but only within the region where their contract was signed.
