Russia building underground Shahed production facilities at Alabuga, satellite imagery shows
OSINT analysts have identified underground construction at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, where Russia assembles Geran drones based on Iranian Shahed designs. Satellite images published on September 19 show approximately 42,000 square meters of underground space being built, part of a broader effort to harden drone production against Ukrainian strikes.
Key points
- Satellite images published on September 19 show Russia building underground production facilities at Alabuga in Tatarstan
- Dnipro Osint estimates the underground facilities cover approximately 42,000 square meters
- Alabuga hosts Russia's largest drone plant, assembling Geran drones based on Iranian Shahed designs used to strike Ukraine
- Late-August satellite imagery captured construction of at least 10 new workshops and dozens of warehouses at the site
- In August, analysts identified a two-tier tower protection system around Alabuga intended to mount metal netting against cruise missiles and strike drones
- Bild reported in early September that Alabuga's total expansion area exceeds 1,000 hectares, with monthly drone output capacity of up to 11,000
- Ukraine's Defense Forces first struck Alabuga in April 2024, hitting a dormitory at Alabuga Polytech and injuring 13 people
Why it matters
The underground construction shows Russia is adapting its Shahed drone production to the threat of Ukrainian long-range strikes, hardening what is the largest drone assembly site on Russian territory. The shift complicates efforts to disrupt a production line that supplies thousands of drones per month for attacks on Ukraine.
What happened
On September 19, the OSINT analyst known as Harpuz of Dnipro Osint published satellite images showing Russia constructing underground production facilities at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan. According to the analyst's assessment, the underground space already covers approximately 42,000 square meters.
Alabuga hosts Russia's largest drone production facility, where Geran drones — Russian copies of Iranian Shahed designs used to strike Ukraine — are assembled. The move underground reportedly followed the first Ukrainian strikes on Alabuga in April 2024, when a drone hit a dormitory at Alabuga Polytech and injured 13 people.
The underground build-out is part of a larger expansion. Late-August imagery captured at least 10 new workshops and dozens of warehouses. In August, analysts also identified a two-tier tower protection system around the site, designed to mount metal netting against cruise missiles and strike drones. The American Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) assessed that lattice tower protective structures around the main production sites could help defend the complex against drone and missile attacks. Bild reported in early September that the site's expansion already exceeds 1,000 hectares, with capacity for up to 11,000 Geran and Gerbera drones per month.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The Ukrainian-language sources frame the underground construction as a direct response to earlier Ukrainian strikes on Alabuga, highlighting the security implications for Ukraine as Russia hardens its drone production. They note analysts' suggestion that targeting the supply chain — such as powder plants, chemical enterprises, and VNIIR Progress, which produces antennas helping Shaheds evade electronic warfare — may be a more viable approach than striking the hardened site itself.
Background
Alabuga in Tatarstan hosts the largest drone production facility in Russia, where Geran drones based on Iranian Shahed designs used to strike Ukraine are assembled. Students of Alabuga Polytech, including minors, are reportedly involved in assembling the drones.