Russia moves some Shahed production underground at Alabuga
Underground production facilities are being built at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, where Russia assembles Shahed-type drones, to protect production from Ukrainian strikes.
Russia is constructing underground production facilities for Shahed-type drones at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan to safeguard manufacturing from Ukrainian attacks. OSINT analyst Dnipro Osint (Harbuz) reported the construction on September 19, based on satellite images, estimating the underground facilities to cover around 42,000 square meters.
The decision to move production underground came after Ukrainian strikes on Alabuga, with Dnipro Osint noting the rapid progress in securing the Geran drone ecosystem. The drones' production is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive to target, as production is shifting underground while infrastructure is dispersed and fortified.
Earlier this month, Bild reported the plant's expansion area had surpassed 1,000 hectares, with Russia building new production facilities, warehouses, and transport infrastructure for Geran and Gerbera drone production, capable of manufacturing up to 11,000 drones per month. In May, analysts observed a 340-hectare increase in the site's size from the previous year.
In August, satellite imagery revealed the creation of a substantial protective system around the production area — two concentric rings of towers meant to shield the site with metal mesh against cruise missiles and attack drones.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
