Anastasia Bondarenko: “Comprehensive Measures Needed to Counter Systemic Threats”

The complex security threats that the Russian fuel and energy industry faces today require similarly comprehensive and systemic responses, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Anastasia Bondarenko stated in her welcoming speech at the session ‘Countering New Threats to the Fuel and Energy Sector: Legislation and Practice’ during Russian Energy Week 2023.

She noted that Federal Law No. 256 “On the Safety of Fuel and Energy Industry Facilities,” which was adopted in 2011, was drafted when times were much calmer. “Both the law itself and the by-laws were adopted for peacetime, when the threats that have become a reality today were only regarded as theoretically possible,” she said.

At the same time, Bondarenko noted that the energy security doctrine approved by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in 2019 remains relevant.

“Thanks to this document, all the challenges and threats are clearly identified and structured,” she said.

In addition, while working on Russia’s draft energy strategy for the period until 2050, she said the Ministry of Energy created a separate section on ways to improve the regulation of security in the industry. It is not only about anti-terrorism security, but also the categorization of fuel and energy facilities and the extent of the consequences from attacks on them.

Bondarenko said drone attacks are one of the main threats to the Russian fuel and energy industry today. To combat this threat, steps are being taken at the legislative level to extend the right to use anti-drone equipment, including to private security organizations.

“About 80% of fuel and energy facilities today are under the protection of various private security organizations. And the higher the extent of a facility’s danger, the more professional the structure should be to ensure its security,” Bondarenko said.

Even in this case, she said, there is a question about the spatial limits of this right, since combatting a drone directly near a facility could be much riskier than shooting it down over a nearby field or forest.

In addition, cyberattacks on fuel and energy facilities pose an equally significant threat today.

“The key objective here is to maintain the functioning of both the fuel and energy facility itself and the critical information infrastructure located therein,” she said, adding that the Ministry of Energy has accumulated extensive experience in combatting this threat over the past five years.

The Russian Energy Week International Forum is a key global platform for discussing current trends in the development of the modern fuel and energy sector. This event is traditionally held at the highest level, featuring the participation of leaders from the largest companies in the energy industry. In 2022, more than 70 events, with the involvement of over 270 speakers, were held as part of REW. The Forum attracted over 3,000 participants and media representatives from Russia, as well as 83 foreign countries and territories. The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, with the support of the Moscow City Government.

Official website of REW: rusenergyweek.com. For news about the event and the industry, please follow the official REW page on VK.

Source: Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, minenergo.gov.ru/node/25075.