The first images of the Alabuga Factory in Tatarstan, which is purported to be the biggest production facility for single-use attack drones worldwide, have been released by Russian state media. The Geran-2 drone, a domestically made variant of Iran’s Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drone, which made headlines during its combat debut in Ukraine in September 2022, is the main focus of the site.
Since then, the Geran-2 has emerged as a key element of Russia’s long-range strike strategy. The extent of Moscow’s commitment to drone warfare was demonstrated by footage taken at the Alabuga Factory, which showed rows of finished drones. The Economist reports that monthly production has increased from only 300 drones in 2022 to over 100 drones per day as of May 2025, with plans to reach 500 drones per day soon. Over 1,000 drones could be used in coordinated strikes several times a week with this level of production.
The reported June deployment of 25,000 North Korean industrial workers to Tatarstan has been a significant step in Russia’s expansion into drone manufacturing. This action highlights the expanding defence cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang and was foreseen by analysts and purportedly verified by Ukrainian intelligence. Russia views North Korea’s highly skilled labour force as a crucial resource for sustaining production momentum.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in early 2022, Russia’s defence industry has quickly increased production of a wide range of military hardware, including drones. The production of Kh-101 cruise missiles and Iskander-M ballistic missiles has multiplied. In response to the demands of continuous warfare, the production of T-90M tanks has tripled and the production of Su-34 strike aircraft has more than doubled.
An important turning point in Russia’s military industrial revival, the Alabuga drone factory represents both the country’s growing network of international defence alliances and its adaptation to contemporary warfare. The scope and rapidity of this buildup are changing how the world views Russia’s strategic resilience and defence capabilities.