Russia has significantly increased drone production — CNN

Russia has significantly expanded and increased drone production. In particular, there is new information about the Russian plant in Alabuga and how China is helping Russia to circumvent sanctions in order to have all the necessary components for drones.

This is stated in the CNN article.

The plant in Alabuga began to produce even more drones

Amid the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, CNN has released new information about a Russian drone manufacturing plant located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

It is known that the plant has significantly increased the production of Iranian-designed strike and reconnaissance drones, and also produces cheap decoy drones that help "distract air defense systems".

Recently, the German Defense Minister estimated that the Russian defense industry is significantly ahead of the European Union in terms of arms and ammunition production by four times.

After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia began purchasing Iranian Shahed drones. However, in early 2023, Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.75 billion deal to produce these drones directly in Russia. This became known thanks to a leak of documents that the Ukrainian cyberintelligence group InformNapalm passed on to CNN.

How many drones were manufactured at the Alabuga plant

Згідно з оприлюдненими документами, завод "Алабуга" є основним підприємством, яке займається виробництвом безпілотників "Шахед-136" (або "Герань-2" за російською класифікацією). Згідно з укладеною угодою, до вересня 2025 року мало бути виготовлено 6000 одиниць цих дронів.

However, according to available information, Alabuga has already fulfilled this contract. According to Ukrainian defense intelligence, in 2023 the plant produced 2,738 Shahed drones, and in the first nine months of 2024, their number more than doubled to 5,760 units produced between January and September.

At the same time, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, which has been tracking Alabuga's activities since 2022, reports that the plan to produce 6,000 drones was completed almost a year ahead of schedule.

China's involvement and international sanctions

Between September 2023 and June 2024, 34 Chinese companies signed deals with Alabuga worth about 700 million yuan, which is equivalent to more than 8 billion rubles (approximately $96 million). This was reported by CNN, citing sources in Ukrainian defense intelligence. According to the sources, these companies supplied parts, materials, and equipment for the production of drones. One of the companies even supplied equipment to create electronic warfare systems used to protect the Alabuga from drone attacks.

The United States has imposed sanctions on two Chinese companies that, according to the US, are directly involved in the development and production of long-range attack drones for Russia. Several dozen other Chinese companies have been sanctioned for supplying Russia with dual-use goods and components that can be used to manufacture weapons, including drones.

China's role in the Alabuga project is likely to become even more significant. A new transportation hub, the Deng Xiaoping Logistics Complex, is being built near this facility. It is named after the late Chinese leader and is intended to provide a direct rail link between Russia and China. According to the promotional video, the complex is designed to transport up to 100,000 containers annually.

Russia attracts cheap labor and children to work

Due to the shortage of labor, the plant actively recruits Russian teenagers and women from Africa. Workers are encouraged by high salaries, trainings, and the opportunity to avoid military service. However, working conditions have been heavily criticized: workers complain about long shifts and lack of rest.

There are even more drones - how will Ukraine handle this?

Despite an increase in drone attacks, Ukraine continues to defend itself effectively. CNN estimated that only 5% of Russian drones reached their targets between August and October. Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence actively counters these efforts, including through strikes on factory infrastructure. In April 2024, a fire at a components warehouse caused significant damage to production.

In early December, analysts at the Institute for War Studies announced that Russia was building up its capabilities to produce attack drones.

And in the fall, it became known that Russia could independently produce a new type of drone containing Chinese parts.