Alabuga

Alabuga is a special economic zone near Yelabuga in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, and the main production site of the Geran family of one-way attack drones that Russia launches at Ukraine almost every night. The zone was set up as an industrial park; since 2022 its best-known product has been the Geran-2, the Russian-built version of Iran’s Shahed-136, followed by the jet-powered Geran-3, Geran-4 and Geran-5.

From licence to mass production

Internal documents from the zone’s operator, JSC SEZ PPT “Alabuga”, analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security in 2023, described Geran-2 production carried out with Iranian assistance. CNN reported in late 2024 that the plant had moved to producing the Shahed-136 domestically under the Geran-2 name and was expanding fast.

The expansion is visible from orbit. Satellite imagery reported by Espreso, citing CNN and the Institute’s David Albright, showed at least 104 identical new buildings complete or under construction by July 2025, up from 15 that February. Militarnyi has tracked further production halls since. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said in a statement reported by Kyiv Post that Alabuga produced more than 6,000 Shahed-type drones and thousands of decoys in 2024, with a 2025 goal of 8,000–10,000 combat drones and 15,000 decoys — figures that are Ukrainian government claims and have not been independently verified.

According to the Institute’s satellite updates, the site includes workshops for composite fuselages, engine manufacture, metal casting, and the assembly of electronics and wiring, together with hangars and its own launch pad. In September 2026 Ukrainska Pravda reported OSINT imagery of roughly 42,000 m² of underground production space — read by the analyst as a response to Ukrainian strikes, and not confirmed officially.

A target 1,200 km from the front

Ukrainian long-range drones first struck Alabuga in April 2024, more than 1,200 km from the front line, and hit it again on 23 April 2025, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. Russian officials said one drone was shot down and there were no casualties; damage accounts differ between the two sides.

Sanctions

The Institute noted in 2024 that JSC Alabuga and related companies were still absent from public U.S. and allied sanctions lists, despite the zone’s role in Russia’s drone campaign.

What is made here

The Geran line is the centre of the zone’s military output — see the product pages for the Geran-2, Geran-3, Geran-4 and Geran-5. A related plant, Alabuga-Volokno, produces carbon fibre used in drone airframes.