Russia drone production

Russia planning to spend $12 billion next year on jet-powered drone production — Zelenskyy

Russia plans to spend $12 billion next year on jet-powered drones and loitering munitions alone, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his evening video address on Sept. 26, noting that Ukraine currently intercepts 55% of jet-powered Shahed UAVs.

27 September, 02:50 AM

Up to 25,000 North Koreans in Russia build Shahed drones under student cover

Russia is increasingly using North Korean workers to produce drones for its war against Ukraine, defying international sanctions and providing North Korea with a significant source of income to finance its illicit weapons programs, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 17, citing a report by the United States and its allies.

17 September, 05:24 PM

Russia to build battery gigafactory for drones with state-backed financing

The Russian government will direct up to $121 million, or 10.46 billion rubles, to subsidize a preferential loan for the construction of a lithium-ion battery plant linked to a drone manufacturer, according to a government order dated Sept. 7 uncovered by The Insider.

8 September, 07:21 PM

Satellite images show damage to Russian drone factory in Taganrog after Neptune missile strike

Satellite imagery has revealed damage to at least two workshops at the Atlant Aero drone factory in the Russian city of Taganrog following a Ukrainian strike overnight into April 19, Radio Liberty reported.

20 April, 02:04 PM

Russia makes up to 5,000 Shahed drones a month

Russia is capable of producing between 4,000 and 5,000 Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones per month, former deputy head of Ukraine’s Security Service, Major General Viktor Yahun, said in an interview with Radio NV on March. 4.

5 March, 08:41 AM

Ukraine's Navy strikes Russian Molniya drone factory in Taganrog –video

Ukraine’s Naval Forces published a video of the aftermath of the strike on the Atlant Aero plant in the Russian city of Taganrog overnight into Jan. 13, where Molniya drones and components for Orion UAVs were produced.

16 January, 04:19 PM

Russia’s modified Geran drone can now shoot aircraft and strike targets, Ukraine reveals

Russia has equipped a new version of its Geran drone with a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) and a strike warhead, adapting it to target aircraft in response to Ukraine’s successful air defense efforts, Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency reported on Jan. 12.

12 January, 12:11 PM

Russia seeks 12,000 North Korean workers for drone plant

Russia intends to bring 12,000 North Koreans to work at enterprises in the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, where long-range Shahed attack drones are produced, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate reported on Telegram on Nov. 14.

14 November 2025, 11:46 AM

Russia expands Shahed drone launch site 75 km from Ukraine’s border, satellite images show

Airfields remain Russia’s main launch sites for strike drones, but in 2024–2025, the invading forces have increasingly begun setting up makeshift drone launch areas in open fields. One such location has now appeared near the town of Navlya in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast — just 75 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

1 October 2025, 06:44 PM

Ukrainian intel: Russia to produce 79,000 attack drones in 2025

Russia is ramping up production of drones, including Shahed-type attack UAVs, while seeking to replace imported foreign components, Deputy Chief of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) Vadym Skibitskyi said in an interview with Suspilne on Aug. 13.

13 August 2025, 05:10 PM

Russia expands Shahed drone plant in Tatarstan, satellite photos show

Russia is expanding the Shahed UAV manufacturing facility in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, as seen in satellite images NV examined on July 9.

9 July 2025, 09:42 PM

Ukraine says 92% of foreign drone parts in Russia’s arsenal come from China

Chinese suppliers are playing a key role in providing Russia with components for the production of attack drones used in its war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on July 8, citing documents reviewed by the outlet.

8 July 2025, 01:33 PM

Ukrainian drones hit Russian thermobaric munitions plant near Moscow

Ukraine's Defense Forces carried out direct drone strike on a key military facility in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, which produces thermobaric warheads for Shahed drones, AFU General Staff wrote on July 4.

4 July 2025, 02:30 PM

Syrskyi: Russia gains edge in long-range fiber-optic drones

Ukraine now has more first-person view (FPV) drones on the battlefield than Russia, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with journalists on June 22, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

22 June 2025, 04:23 PM

Russia drone production