Russia is continuing to expand its long-range strike drone production in part due to support from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Russia has significantly scaled up its domestic production of Shahed-type drones, including Gerans (Russian Shahed analogues), Garpiyas (Shahed analogues with PRC components), and Gerberas (decoy Shahed variants).
Russia primarily produces Shahed-type drones at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) in the Republic of Tatarstan and recently opened a new production line for Shahed-type drones at the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant where Russia already produces Garpiya drones.
Russia has recently significantly invested in developing the ASEZ’s drone factory; supporting the plant’s infrastructure; and recruiting women, children, and foreigners to work at the ASEZ.
Russia is increasingly relying on the PRC for its drone components and would not be able to sustain the pace or mass of its Shahed-type drone production without these components. A recent investigation by the Ukraine-based, open-source intelligence organization Frontelligence Insight found that the ASEZ alone depends on the PRC for at least 41 components to produce its long-range strike drones, including engines, electronic and mechanical components, batteries, antennas, radios, carbon fire, carburetors, and telecommunications components.
Frontelligence Insight assessed that many of the drones that Russia claims to have produced domestically are only assembled domestically given the high number of PRC-produced parts in these drones. Russia also opened a dedicated logistics center at the ASEZ to receive and process cargo trains directly from the PRC, likely to streamline the delivery of PRC-produced components for drone production at the ASEZ.
