Inside the War
Russia builds new Shahed launch site near Ukraine border
Nation19 September 2025, 09:18 AM
Russian forces have constructed a new launch site for Iranian-made Shahed attack drones just 35 kilometers from Ukraine’s state border, OSINT analyst Brady Africk reported on X on Sept. 18.
He published satellite images showing storage facilities and launch rails used to fire the drones.
It is not the first facility of this type. In March 2025 it became known that Russia put three additional Shahed launch sites into operation in the Primorsko-Akhtarsk area, supplementing seven already existing.
Thus, Moscow continues to expand its infrastructure for strikes against Ukraine, pushing it closer to the border.
UK intelligence earlier warned that the number of Shahed launch sites in Russia may continue to grow. This means increased pressure on Ukraine’s air defense system and heightened threats to border oblasts.