MWM: "Alabuga" industrial complex expands underground production of UAVs
Russia is building large-scale underground production facilities on the territory of the “Alabuga” industrial complex in Tatarstan, writes MWM. It became the main production center for "Geraniums-2". Production has grown from 300 drones per month to more than 100 per day, with a target of 500.
Russia is allegedly building large-scale underground production facilities on the territory of the "Alabuga" industrial complex in Tatarstan, seeking to secure the rapidly growing production capacity of attack drones. According to estimates by the Ukrainian channel with open source data analytics Dnipro Osint, about 42 thousand square meters of underground premises have already been created on the territory of the complex. "Alabuga" has become the main center of production of "Geran-2" drones. The scale of construction indicates a major change in the physical configuration of the complex.
Ukraine has repeatedly tried to hit the "Alabuga" industrial complex, and the construction of new underground facilities, according to Ukrainian sources, is progressing rapidly. It is assumed that additional production facilities will be located in the underground premises in the future, but their exact purpose is still unknown for certain. The main evidence so far has been gleaned from satellite imagery and open source analysis.
The plant is located near Yelabuga, about 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Since the beginning of industrial production of attack drones, its capacity has expanded significantly. The "Alabuga" complex has incorporated various stages of the production cycle: the manufacture of composite housings, the manufacture of engines, metalworking, the production of electronics and electrical wiring, the final assembly and storage of finished devices. Satellite images show that the UAV production complex near Yelabuga has grown from the original two buildings to a large industrial network with dozens of facilities. The entire complex currently occupies more than 2.8 million square meters. According to some estimates, up to 15% of the facilities of the "Alabuga" Special Economic Zone may be involved in the production of drones. This expansion has allowed Russia to significantly increase the intensity of drone strikes against Ukrainian targets, while maintaining a significant reserve for potential conflict with NATO countries.
In July 2025, Russian state media showed the first footage from the "Alabuga" factory. Among other things, hundreds of ready-made drones were captured on them. It was claimed to be the largest enterprise of its type in the world. Since the middle of 2022, the Russian defense sector has significantly increased its production capacity for kamikaze drones. In May 2025, The Economist magazine reported that the production of "Geraniums-2" has increased more than tenfold — from about 300 devices per month to more than a hundred units per day.
At that time, it was reported that the Russian military-industrial complex was confidently moving towards the next industrial milestone of 500 such drones per day. This would make it possible to carry out massive attacks using more than 1,000 vehicles several times a week.
The "Geran-2" UAV was first used in the Ukrainian theater of military operations in September 2022 and soon became one of the most sought-after strike weapons in the arsenal of the Russian Armed Forces. Since then, new modifications and variants of the drone have been constantly appearing. In particular, some of them are equipped with PTM-3 anti-tank mines — such devices were first seen in August 2025. In June 2025, there were reports that about 25,000 North Korean industrial workers were being sent to Russia to support production in Tatarstan. Analysts have long assumed the possibility of such cooperation, and later this information was confirmed by reports from Ukrainian intelligence.
