The Russian Defense Ministry has drafted new rules that would grant the military permission to shoot down hijacked passenger jets.

Current legislation contains conflicting clauses both allowing the military to fire at civilian aircraft hijacked by terrorists and banning shooting down planes that violate the Russian border if passengers are on board.

If the Defense Ministry’s rules are approved, the Russian military would be able to shoot down passenger jets that “refuse to obey commands to land,” according to the ministry’s draft regulations that were submitted for public debate.

“Sadly, people on the plane will die, but this will prevent a more terrible catastrophe,” Russia’s pro-Kremlin Izvestia daily quoted Senator Frants Klintsevich as saying Friday.