Kenneth Glad
A major weapons program is growing while Moscow builds closer military ties with Tehran. The push could affect battlefields in Ukraine and across the Middle East.
Russia is increasing support for Iran’s drone forces while expanding production at home, according to The Telegraph.
The Economist reported that Moscow has offered Tehran 5,000 short-range drones designed to resist jamming. The package also reportedly includes longer-range satellite-linked drones, operator training and intelligence on U.S. troop and naval movements.
Shahed-style drones are relatively cheap long-range weapons, allowing militaries to launch them in large numbers and strain air-defense systems.
Alabuga grows
The Telegraph writes that Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan has expanded by 340 hectares over the past year.
Satellite imagery reviewed in the report showed new hangars, production buildings and residential areas being built at the site.
A separate 450-hectare development nearby is also under construction, although its purpose has not been publicly identified.
The Alabuga complex matters because it is now described as the core of Russia’s long-range drone program.
Ukraine pressure
Russia began using Iranian Shahed drones against Ukraine in 2022. It later started producing its own version, known as the Geran-2, in July 2023, according to the Daily Express.
The outlet reported that the Alabuga facility now produces 90 to 95 percent of Russia’s drones.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in January that Moscow wanted to increase one-way attack drone production to as many as 1,000 a day.
In April, Russia launched 6,600 long-range drones at Ukraine, the Daily Express reported. Ukrainian forces intercepted about 90 percent of them.
Wider fallout
The Daily Express further stated that Russia has also shared technology to improve Shahed drone communication, navigation and targeting systems.
A March 1 drone strike at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, killed six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers.
Analysts believe Moscow may benefit from sustained Middle East tensions through higher oil revenue and less international attention on Ukraine.
That makes the drone trade more than a battlefield issue. It links Russia’s war economy to a wider regional crisis.
Fortified factory
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Alabuga, and Russia has responded by adding air-defense systems around the complex.
For Moscow, the site is not just a factory. It is a key part of its effort to keep long-range drone attacks running at scale.
The expansion also shows how drones have become central to modern war: Cheap enough to mass-produce, destructive enough to shape military planning, and difficult for defenders to stop every time.
Sources: Daily Express, The Telegraph, The Economist
