Roscosmos announced the transfer of production facilities from Khimki (Moscow Region) to Omsk in Siberia and Perm near the Ural Mountains.
Points of attention
- Roscosmos relocates rocket production from Moscow to Siberia and Perm due to high overhead costs and Ukrainian threats.
- The shift in production facilities is linked to the intensification of Ukrainian long-range strikes, prompting strategic adjustments.
Russia moves missile production to Siberia due to Ukrainian strikes
According to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, the Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center is moving from Khimki to Omsk. The production of rocket engines, which is located in Khimki, will be transferred to Perm.
Although Roscosmos positions itself as a civilian agency, it is closely linked to the production of missiles for Russia's war against Ukraine. In particular, we are talking about the nuclear-capable RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which Russian media calls "the most deadly weapon in the world" (although the missile has failed tests at least five times).
Bakanov explained the decision by high overhead costs:
The cost of industrial mass production in Khimki is becoming prohibitive due to high overhead costs.
However, observers link the displacement to increased Ukrainian long-range strikes.
In March, former Defense Minister and current Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu said that "no region of Russia can feel safe" from Ukrainian attacks, warning that they could reach the Ural Mountains and beyond.
And Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that it is "impossible" to protect all of Russia's critical infrastructure from drone strikes.
In January, Roscosmos was already forced to move the development of Angara launch vehicles from the Moscow Khrunichev Center to a branch in Omsk. Over the past two weeks, Ukraine has launched several strikes on Russian export terminals in the Baltic (Primorsk and Ust-Luga), disabling them, and has also struck one of the largest explosives factories in the city of Chapayevsk.
On the night of April 2, Ukrainian Armed Forces drones set fire to the Bashneft-Novoil oil refinery in Ufa, which processes 7.3 million tons of oil per year and is located approximately 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that allies asked him to limit attacks on Russian energy facilities due to the global fuel crisis caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the president emphasized that he will not stop the strikes as long as Russia continues to strike at Ukrainian energy:
If Russia is ready not to attack Ukraine's energy sector, then we will respond in kind.
