Russia expands Alabuga drone plant: production to increase by almost 80%

In the Russian republic of Tatarstan, the Alabuga-Volokno plant, where strike drones and their components are manufactured, is being expanded. Part of the capacities is likely being moved underground.

As Dilo reports, Politico references Russian documents for this information.

According to the documents, by 2029 year the Alabuga-Volokno plant plans to annually produce an additional 500 tons of aerospace-grade carbon fiber for military use.

Experts estimate that increasing such production capacities could yield an additional 28 thousand high‑powered drones per year, which Russia uses to attack Ukrainian towns. Currently, Russia is capable of producing more than 36 thousand kamikaze drones of the “Shahed”/“Geran” type per year.

Satellite images of the Alabuga area show that the Russians marked the region they want to expand and cleared green zones.

Images of the Alabuga area from a satellite. On the left — May 2026 year, on the right — July 2026 year. Photo: Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre

In documents from Rosatom, the key reasons for expanding the plant’s territory are stated as “import substitution of dual‑use products” and “meeting the demand of Russia’s strategic sectors for carbon fiber.”

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian OSINT project Dnipro Osint reported that Russians are building underground shops on the Alabuga territory — about 42 thousand m² of space have already been constructed.

The publication notes that the Alabuga-Volokno plant is under sanctions by Great Britain, the United States, and several other Western countries. This plant is a key link in the supply chain of Russia’s military‑industrial complex. Earlier this year the plant received a batch of chemical components for carbon fiber production (weighing 46 tons) from a Chinese state corporation.

Drone production plant in Tatarstan

Russians built a plant for the production of upgraded Iranian kamikaze drones in the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan. The drones produced there are used by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russia still cannot independently manufacture all parts for the drones domestically. Therefore, Russia receives necessary components ready for assembly, including from Iran.