The ban on drone flights in 40 regions of Russia, which was introduced amid the drone attack on the Kremlin, will cost the industry around 10 billion rubles and bring the market back to 2018 levels. subject writing “Kommersant” in reference to the developers and manufacturers of equipment interviewed.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, losses could amount to 1.5 billion rubles if the ban lasts until the end of the year, according to market participants interviewed by the publication. This amount corresponds to the amount of lost revenue for drone manufacturers and operators who sell services in the field of aerial photography and surveillance.
After the drone attack on the Kremlin, restrictions were introduced in Moscow, St. Petersburg (until May 15), Moscow, Leningrad, Pskov, Arkhangelsk, Sverdlovsk regions and Chuvashia. They added to the list of regions that introduced a similar ban last year. More details – in infographics Russian media.
According to experts, such prohibitions do not lead to the prevention of attacks and the devices launched for terrorist purposes fly without authorization. At the same time, the drones of law-abiding operators in Russia remain on the ground, although they are the ones who most often increase security by monitoring the area, Kommersant interlocutors say.
Head of profile association Aeronext Gleb Babintsev explained that the restrictions in Moscow and St. Petersburg will not cause serious financial losses for the market, but the indirect impact could be huge. According to him, this is due to the fact that everyone is watching the capital, which can “reinforce the domino effect” and accelerate the implementation of bans in areas that have not yet done so.
Alexander Chizhenok / Kommersant
Babintsev calculated that if the ban is extended until the end of the year, the market volume will return to the level of five years ago. According to optimistic estimates, the market will remain at the level of 2022, and in the worst case scenario of a total ban across the country there will be a return to the level of 2018 – this is a little over 3 billion rubles, he added.
Maxim Chizhov, general manager of Agrimax Aero, also said the agricultural industry will suffer the most losses. According to his calculations, this sector will lose a total of 2.4 billion rubles.
To save the drone market, Babintsev proposed to introduce measures and solutions that would find “properly equipped unmanned aircraft”, as well as establish its route and ensure that service orders are sent. to an external crew for landing. According to the expert, a unified interministerial procedure to coordinate flights and ensure their safety should be created, but “today such a procedure does not exist”.
The solution should be the installation of transponder sensors that will not interfere with large aircraft and will be under the control of ground specialists.
The press service of the presidential administration reported that on the night of May 3, two drones entered the Kremlin, and this “planned terrorist act” was planned and organized by the Ukrainian side as an attempt against Vladimir Putin. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case under the article on the terrorist act. In Kyiv, they deny their involvement in the incident with the drone. The statement that Ukraine does not strike on Russian territory was made personally by the head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Shortly before, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that a ban on the launch of unmanned aerial vehicles, except those used by state authorities, was being introduced into the capital city. On May 4, in the center of Moscow, there were problems with the GPS signal. Car-sharing service citydrive’s Telegram channel said customers were temporarily not advised to hire a car inside the Garden Ring because ‘cars may not show up correctly on the map’ . At GLONASS JSC confirmed Daily Storm, that problems in the operation of geolocation systems in the capital were observed “somewhere since six in the morning” on May 4. The reasons for these failures, the company employee did not name. The Telegram channel Baza, in turn, wrote that the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow were informed about the “activation of the GPS position change” during the rehearsal of the Victory Parade.
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