Russia is Manufacturing Iranian Shahed Drones at Its Own Factory

Russia has an official agreement with Iran for the construction of an industrial complex within Russian territory to produce Iranian UAVs of the Shahed type, which are extensively employed during attacks on Ukraine.

The Washington Post reports this, referencing classified documents that have come into the hands of journalists.

According to sources from the publication, Russia signed a billion-dollar deal with Iran for arms supply as early as November of the previous year.

Additionally, the agreement involved establishing a factory on Russian soil that was supposed to build 6,000 UAVs of the Shahed type by the summer of 2025.

This task was seemingly set in order to preserve Russia's own stockpiles of high-precision missiles, which are utilized to carry out strikes on Ukrainian critical infrastructure.

Documents held by The Washington Post indicate that the factory has already been constructed in the "Alabuga" zone in the Republic of Tatarstan. Currently, engineers are working on improving and optimizing the production processes of the Shahed-136 drones, seeking ways to accelerate and scale up production rates while maintaining quality control.

According to assessments from researchers at the Washington Institute for Science and International Security, the factory is currently lagging behind the planned targets by at least a month. Moreover, the enterprise is currently only capable of assembling drones from components provided by Iran. On-site at the factory, they have only been able to assemble the frames, albeit in limited quantities, no more than 300 unmanned vehicles. Thus, analysts suggest that "Alabuga" currently has a low chance of meeting the goal to produce 6,000 Shahed-type drones by the summer of 2025.

Secret documentation from the Russian factory, which allowed confirmation of Russia and Iran's agreement regarding the production and supply of arms, was provided to the publication by an employee of the covert manufacturing facility who does not support Russia's war in Ukraine. The documents provided, including blueprints, technical schematics, memorandums, and presentations from the Russian side regarding the progress of production under the codename "Project Boat," are dated winter 2022 to spring 2023.

Recall that recently, it became known about indirect negotiations between the US and Tehran with the goal of "reducing tension worldwide." One of the key issues discussed was the cessation of supplying Iranian drones to Russia, as these UAVs are subsequently used in attacks on peaceful Ukrainian populations.

In general, it is known that Iran has already supplied Russia with over 400 units of Shahed-131 and Shahed-136. Considering the nearly daily attacks on Ukraine, these reserves are almost depleted.

At the same time, Tehran has not yet acknowledged its involvement in supplying combat drones to Russia.