Russia creates new subcommittee to ensure security, restoration of infrastructure headed by first deputy PM

MOSCOW. Aug 27 (Interfax) - The Russian government has created a new subcommittee to ensure the uninterrupted operation of certain sectors of the economy that will, among other things, monitor the security of critical infrastructure and its restoration.

The subcommittee will be headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, with deputy prime ministers Alexander Novak and Dmitry Grigorenko, as well as Armed Forces General Staff deputy head Anatoly Kontsevoi serving as his deputies, the Cabinet's press service reported.

"The subcommittee's main tasks include analysing the state of provisioning for the security of critical infrastructure in certain sectors of the economy, working out measures aimed at ensuring the normal operation of such facilities, and control over their timely restoration, and minimizing negative social and economic consequences related to the disruption of operations of enterprises in certain sectors of the economy," the press release said.

The new subcommittee is part of the government commission for the resilience of the economy under sanctions and will "carry out operational interagency coordination on the preparation of proposals aimed at increasing the resilience of important sectors of the economy, as well as on the implementation of planned measures and control over their execution," the release said.

The government said that the existing subcommittee for increasing the resilience of the financial sector and certain other sectors, which is headed by Novak, will continue its work in full.

"The activities of the subcommittees - the existing one and the created one - are aimed at solving different problems. The measures being taken by Alexander Novak's subcommittee are of a strategic long-term nature and aimed at strengthening the potential of important sectors of the Russian economy amid current global challenges and restrictions," the Cabinet said.

Manturov said earlier this week that private owners of businesses treat protecting their facilities from attacks "with different levels of responsibility," and "in a number of cases ensuring the security of facilities and employees is not a priority for them, unfortunately."

He made the comment after the approval Monday of presidential decree No. 604, under which critical infrastructure whose owners do not ensure its security may be placed under temporary external management by decision of the government. Grounds for such a measure mentioned in the decree include "identification of ineffectiveness of measures" to mitigate the threat of drone attacks, as well as the "non-restoration or untimely restoration" of the operation of critical infrastructure by the business entity.