Russia builds drone factory for Iranian models and isolates Tehran

Russia builds drone factory for Iranian models and isolates Tehran

"Finally something that nobody else has," says a Russian journalist in a TV documentary about the Drone factory of the country . "There is no such mass production of two -stroke engines anywhere else in Russia."

the Alabuga factory

The factory in question, Alabuga, is located 600 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region and is increasingly producing more of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136 attack drones (known as Geran in Russia). The man behind the facility, CEO Timur Shagivalev, is certain that this is one of the greatest achievements in the factory.

"This is a complete facility", adds Shagivalev in the documentation and explains that most components of the drone are now produced locally. "Aluminum sticks come in, motors are made from this; microelectronics are created from electronic chips; the fuselage parts consist of carbon fiber and fiberglass - this is a complete production location."

integration into the Russian military industry

This statement indicates that the production of the Iranische Shahed Backbone of Moscow drone war, now largely forms in the Russian Military industry was integrated. Analysts and secret service officers believe that 90 % of the production steps are now taking place in Alabuga or other Russian facilities.

In this context, show Current satellite images And accommodations that would enable an exponential increase in production. Analysts with which CNN spoke, believe that this growth would enable Russia to export an updated and combat -tested version of the drone originally imported from Iran - perhaps even to Tehran itself.

Iranian frustration about Russia

A western source of secret says that the expansion and complete Russian integration of the Shahed-136 effectively marginalized Iran and reveals a gap between Moscow and Tehran. Tehran is increasingly impatiently about the minor return that Russia had received, although Moscow would have supported war efforts not only with drones, but also with rockets and other means.

This dissatisfaction was poured into Iran's nuclear arms program in June during the 12-day bombing of Israel, in which Russia's convicting statements were regarded as inadequate support for a country that Moscow had helped since its extensive invasion in Ukraine.

strategic partnership and their challenges

"Iran could have expected that Russia is taking more or taking more steps without being forced to do so," said Ali Akbar Dareini, analyst of the Iranian President's research institution based in Tehran. "You could not interfere militarily, but you could provide surgical support in the form of weapon transports, technical support, information exchange or the like."

However, Russia's distant attitude for the western secret service officer, with whom CNN spoke, was not surprising. He argued that she showed the "purely transactional and utilitarian nature" of Russian cooperation with Iran. "This explicit decoupling proves that Russia never interacts beyond its immediate interests, even if a partner - here an essential supplier of drones - is attacked," he said.

extension of drone production

After the beginning of the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia began to import Iranian Shahed drones. At the beginning of 2023, Moscow and Tehran signed a contract of $ 1.75 billion for domestic production of the drones. The 6,000 drones defined in the original contract were to be manufactured by September 2025, but were completed about a year earlier. According to the Ukrainian military intelligence, Alabuga now produces more than 5,500 units per month and does this in a more efficient and inexpensive way.

"In 2022, Russia paid an average of $ 200,000 for such a drone," reported a source of Ukrainian military intelligence. "In 2025, this amount fell to around $ 70,000." The West also found that Russia modernized the drone with improved communication systems, more durable batteries and larger explosive heads that make it more fatal and difficult to intercept.

summary of the situation

Overall, the evolution of drone production in Alabuga shows that Iran is gradually losing control of the end product, which is now largely produced locally and independently. Moscow's long -term goal seems to be completely mastered the production cycle and free yourself from future negotiations with Tehran.

The relationship between Russia and Iran is often described as "cooperation and competition", whereby both countries try to get more and give less. In addition to the challenges in your partnership, however, there is the possibility that both sides will ultimately benefit from the collaboration, especially with regard to military and economic support.