Russia Showcases Massive Drone Factory

In a rare public display of its burgeoning war machine, Russia has broadcast footage from inside what it claims is the world's largest and most secretive factory for attack drones, revealing a massive assembly-line operation that is supplying the record numbers of aerial weapons being fired at Ukrainian cities.

The video, released amid an escalation of aerial attacks and in defiance of calls from US President Donald Trump to halt offensives, offers an unprecedented look into the heart of Russia’s drone production capabilities.

Published on Sunday by Zvezda, a television channel owned by the Russian defense ministry, the 40-minute film shows workers with their faces intentionally blurred assembling rows of jet-black, triangle-shaped attack drones. These are the same Geran drones, based on Iranian Shahed models, that Moscow has launched at Ukrainian cities in record numbers in recent weeks.

In the footage, the plant director, Timur Shagivaleev, who has been sanctioned by the United States, makes a bold claim about the facility's scale and importance. "This is the world's largest factory producing unmanned combat aerial vehicles, and the most secretive one," Shagivaleev said.

The factory is located near the town of Yelabuga in the central Russian region of Tatarstan. Originally designated as a special economic zone intended to foster science and business, the site has been completely repurposed for the war effort. Situated more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, its strategic importance has now made it a target for Kyiv's own long-range attacks.

According to Shagivaleev, the plant is operating at a pace far beyond its original design in order to support Russia’s escalating aerial barrages. He stated that the factory is currently churning out nine times as many drones as was initially planned.

A striking feature of the operation highlighted in the video is the age of its workforce. "Hundreds of machines, thousands of workers, and everywhere you look, there are young people," the film's narrator stated. "Boys and girls work and also study at a college here." The footage confirms the presence of these teenage apprentices working on the assembly lines.

The ideological underpinnings of the factory are also put on stark display. A giant screen positioned above the entrance features portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Soviet nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov, and the father of the Soviet space programme, Sergei Korolev. Beneath their images, a message reads: "Kurchatov, Korolyov and Stalin are living in your DNA."

(Source:Kurdistan24)