Russia may allow free unmanned aerial photography at altitudes up to 150 m

The Russian government may make it easier to conduct aerial photography from a drone. Drones weighing up to 30 kg and flying at an altitude of no more than 150 m from the earth or water surface will be able to take pictures without permission to fly from the General Staff of the Armed Forces, headquarters of military districts and territorial bodies of the FSB and not go through the control review procedure, the draft government decree says. The document was developed by Rosreestr (the co-executor is the Ministry of Transport) and published on the portal of regulatory legal acts.

The draft proposes that flights without approval could be carried out only outside the control zones of civil aviation airfields, restricted areas, restricted flight zones, as well as airspace over venues for public events, official sports competitions, etc. The data obtained during the shooting is no longer subject to classification and passing the control review procedure by law enforcement agencies, if they are not a state secret, the document says.