Russia increases air strikes in Ukraine with new drone production
Russia increases air strikes in Ukraine with new drone production
on a DACH in Kiev keep a small group of volunteers in Mismatched uniforms tense. During the day they are judges in the highest courts of Ukraine, but every two weeks they gather as an improvised air defense unit, only equipped with a few machine guns from the Soviet period to shoot down swarms of drones.
cheap defense strategies
"It's the cheapest way," said Yuriy Chumak, one of the voluntary and active judges at the Supreme Court, and thus emphasizes the reluctance of Ukraine, expensive, west to use against comparatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft (UAVS).
rising dangers from the drone attack
chumak and his comrades blind the risk and keep their mood with tea and jokes upright over a 24-hour layer. However, it is clear that their work has become considerably more dangerous in recent months, since Russia increases its drone attacks and terrorized the Ukrainian cities almost every day.
In the past six months, the drone attacks from about 400 in May on over 2,400 increased in November, as a count of CNN shows. In December alone there have been at least 1,700 drone attacks.
expansion of a secret drone factory
While the attacks increase, CNN has discovered new details about the expansion of a secret factory that drives the drone war of Moscow. The work in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's southern Tatarstan region has significantly increased the production of Iranian attack and surveillance drones, uses a number of Chinese components and recruits a very young, slightly qualified workforce of Russian teenagers and African women, according to the analysis of CNN.
The role of China in drone production
The sources, which spoke anonymously with CNN, for fear of their security, reported that the factory now also produces thousands of “dummies” drones that serve to exhaust the Ukrainian air debt. It was observed that two more buildings were built at the location and the safety precautions were increased. Neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor Alabuga responded to the inquiries from CNN for drone production in the factory.
Russia's armaments industry in focus
The findings offer a rare insight into Russia's booming defense industry, which, according to an estimate by the German Minister of Defense, exceeds the EU in the production of weapons and ammunition with a factor of four. This has put Ukraine into a precarious situation because it is more dependent on urgently needed support than ever.
The increase in drone production
After the beginning of Russia's comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Iranian To import shahed drones . By the beginning of 2023, Moscow and Tehran had signed a contract for $ 1.75 billion to produce the drones in the country.
Alabuga as a central production facility
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone, which is about 600 miles east of Moscow, was originally founded in 2006 to attract western companies with generous tax relief. But after the beginning of the war, several of their main tenants left. Parts of the location have expanded significantly since you switched to military production.
Alabuga is now the main factory for the production of the Shahed-136-drone -in Russia as a Geran-2-with a contract for the production of 6,000 units by September 2025. Ukrainian defense intelligence report that Alabuga has apparently already fulfilled this contract.
production and strategies of Russian military technology
According to information from defense intelligence sources, the factory produced 2,738 Shahed drones in 2023 and doubled this number in the first nine months of 2024 by producing 5.760 between January and September. David Albright, a former UN weapon inspector, attributed the rapid increase in production to the ability of Russia to produce quickly, even if they have to import the highly developed technology.
The threat from dummy drones
In addition to the Shaheds, Alabuga also seems to be producing simple “dummies” drones that are known as “Gerbera” since summer. These consist of plywood and foam and imitate the characteristic triangular form of Shahed drones. Chumak explained that it was impossible to distinguish between real Shaheeds and the dummies on the radar, but many of the incoming UAVs seem to be unarmed.tests with thermobaric explosive heads
There are indications that Russia has started to test thermal explosive heads that create stronger and more destructive pressure waves on UAVS. At the end of October it became known that the Kiev Institute for Forensic Expertise had discovered traces of thermal ammunition on parts of Shahed drones.
The condensed defense of Ukraine
Despite the challenges, Ukraine continues to work successfully with the help of volunteers like Chumak. Only 5 % of the Shahed or similar drones hit their goals between August and October, which shows that the Ukrainian air defense forces are able to withstand the current attacks.
The expansion of the drone factory in Alabuga
satellite images show that the factory in Alabuga has grown considerably in the past nine months. New buildings and security measures have been added, which indicates the growth of the program. Investigations came to the conclusion that Alabuga plays a central role in the production and care of the Russian military with Shahed drones.
China's support for Russia's drone production
According to Ukrainian defense sources,In the past few months, 34 Chinese companies have cooperated with Alabuga to solve problems in the supply chain caused by sanctions. Alabuga has received help in providing parts and equipment that is required for the production of UAVS.
The geopolitical dimension
China's role in technology supply for Russia's dinosaurs of warfare is becoming increasingly important. The US National Security Council has expressed concerns, especially when it comes to the influence of China in the military field. The US government has already sanctioned companies for its participation in the development of long-term attack drops for Russia.
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