The Yelabuga drone factory is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, near Yelabuga, Repbulic of Tatarstan, Russia, operated by the Russian company Albatross. It develops drones for military use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and is largely staffed by college students, including minors.
Drone factory | |
|---|---|
| Manufactory | |
| Owner | Russian Federation |
| Location | Alabuga Special Economic Zone, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia |
 | |
Overview
The manufacturing plant develops Shahed-style unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs)[2] and "Albatross" reconnaissance drones.[3] It is located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, near Yelabuga, Repbulic of Tatarstan, Russia, more than 1,300km from the Ukraine-Russia border.[2] Within the Special Economic Zone, the drones are reportedly referred to as "boats" (Russian: лодок).[4] It was built near the Kama River, allowing direct transportation via ship directly from Iran through the Caspian Sea,[5][3] The plant was built with materials provided by Iran.[6] The plant is operated by Albatross, a Russian company that previously made agricultural technologies,[3] and now produces drones for use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6] Albatross has developed long-range reconnaissance drones for use in the war, called "Albatross" or "Albatros M5" drones.[3][7] Before and during the plant's development, Iran supplied UCAVs for Russia to use in the invasion of Ukraine.[8][9][10] The factory opened in July 2023.[3]
In July 2023, an investigation revealed the factory recruits students of Alabuga Polytech, a branch of the Yelabuga Polytechnic College, as workers, some as young as 15. As of August 2023, the factory had several hundred students employed.[11] The students were promised a job and locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles (US$700) per month as part of a work experience program. Instead, students enrolled were encouraged, and in some cases pressured, into working at the drone facility where their salaries are contingent on meeting production quotas, sometimes working 15 hours shifts without overtime pay, and "often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health".[11] School staff instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work,[11] or they would be fined 1.5 million to 2 million rubles, per their employment contract with Alabuga Polytech.[12]
Russia intends to build 6,000 UCAVs by summer 2025[13] at a rate of 310 drones per month, operating the factory 24 hours a day.[5] It predicts the cost of production of one Geran-2 will be US$48,000, or 25% of the cost to purchase.[5]
History
Shahed drones were previously built by Shahed Aviation Industries in Iran, where, allegedly, every drone manufactory has two backup sites in the event of an aerial attack at one site.[5] According to a document submitted by Ukraine to the G7, Shahed drones are built with commercially available parts sold by companies headquartered in the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland.[14] The document suggested there is no deliberate wrongdoing on the part of the companies, and that, due to the commercial availability of the parts, the parts are simply poorly regulated or are uncontrolled. The document also reported the components are imported to Iran from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Costa Rica.[14]
In December 2022, the Biden administration publicly accused Iran and Russia of moving to cooperate in the construction of a drone manufacturing plant in Russia.[15] In June 2023, the White House released a U.S. intelligence report revealing Iran was supplying Russia with materials to construct the drone manufactory, predicting it would be fully operational by early 2024.[16] Photo and video evidence from Russian social media indicated Albatross commenced some reconnaissance drone production in January.[3] Albatross's co-founder, Ilya Voronkov, said in interviews that 70% of its drones' components are made in Russia, while other parts such as the engine are from China. The company's website advertises cameras, electronics, and other equipment from European, US, and Asian companies.[3]
In September 2023, during the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, the United States directly accused Iran of both supplying Russia with drones during the invasion of Ukraine, and of assisting Russia with the development of a drone manufacturing plant. President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi denied sending drones for use in the invasion, responding, "We are against the war in Ukraine".[17] Iran had also said it provided drones to Russia only before the start of the war.[18] The Ukrainian report to G7, submitted in August 2023, further detailed the Iranian government was trying to "disassociate itself from providing Russia with weapons" and that "[Iran] cannot cope with Russian demand and the intensity of use in Ukraine."[14] US officials determined that Iran continues to supply the Russian military with suicide drones, having shipped hundreds by May 2023, shipping them from the Amirabad Special Economic Zone and Port, Iran to Makhachkala, Russia.[18]
In a 2 April 2024 offensive, the drone factory was struck by an improvised drone apparently adapted from a civilian light aircraft, likely an Aeroprakt A-22. Ukraine's military intelligence said the strike "caused significant destruction of production facilities".[2] Local governor Rustam Minnikhanov said the attack brought no serious damage or disruption to production.[19][2] Russian media reported a nearby workers' dormitory was damaged, with 12 injured.[20][21]