The Russian Federation has significantly increased the production of UAVs – media

In Tatarstan, the production of attack and reconnaissance drones of Iranian design has increased significantly. They are assembled in a plant in the special economic zone of Alabuga, CNN reported on Friday, December 27.

It is noted that the drones are built using a number of Chinese parts and hiring a young, low-skilled workforce among Russian teenagers and African women.

The sources, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because of safety concerns, said the plant also produces thousands of drone decoys designed to defeat Ukrainian defenses. Satellite images analyzed by CNN and experts show two additional buildings have been built at the plant and security has been beefed up.

From March to September, two new buildings went up near the original US site, increasing the production site’s footprint by 55%, according to satellite imagery analysis.

While it is unclear what the new buildings are for, they are located within the security perimeter around the two original structures, which could indicate they are part of the same process, CNN said, citing David Albright, founder of the Washington Institute for Science. and International Security, which has been monitoring Alabuga since 2022, and believes that 6,000 drones were produced a year ahead of schedule.