The Russian plant in Alabuga plans to produce 6,000 Shahed attack drones annually.
Russian plant in Tatarstan plans to produce 6,000 Shaheds annually
At the end of April, it was already ahead of its production schedule and had delivered 4,500 drones.
The production of Iranian UAVs by Russia is located in several hangars in the special economic zone "Alabuga".
According to the publication, Russian businessmen concluded an agreement on the construction of the aforementioned plant at the end of 2022, when they flew to Iran with a favorable offer in the form of 1.7 billion dollars, which was partially paid in gold bars.
In particular, according to the contract, the plant in Alabuga should produce 6,000 Shaheds per year, in addition to reconnaissance drones. Already in April, the company was ahead of schedule and delivered 4,500 promised drones.
In particular, according to intelligence data, Russian military personnel are already being trained to operate drones in Syria by instructors from the Revolutionary Guard and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
In addition, Alagua also produces M3 Albatros reconnaissance drones. Thanks to them, as the WSJ writes, the enemy was able to obtain detailed photo reconnaissance of Ukrainian positions and movements on the front line. According to the manufacturer, UAVs also helped repel an attempted invasion of the Belgorod region.
Russia is also producing its own warheads instead of waiting for Iranian ones. This, in turn, also accelerates the production of combat-ready weapons.
Moscow's transition to drones is thanks to the use of Tehran's shadow logistics networks in addition to Iranian military technologies, the publication explains.
Russia recruits students to produce drones
The publication also notes that the initial production of the Albatros UAV relied heavily on students from nearby technical colleges. However, this was not enough for Moscow, which is why they began to look for workers in Africa.
At the beginning of 2023, Russian businessmen from Alabuga rented a hall in a high-class school in Uganda, gathering an audience of young female students. The latter were offered a qualified job with a salary three times higher than in their homeland, air tickets, free accommodation, and more.
