Latest news with #Tatarstan
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside Russia's suicide drone factories manned by teenagers
Credit: Zvezda/Russian state owned tv/X Teenagers are helping Russia build Shahed suicide drones as Vladimir Putin ramps up production at a major factory in Tatarstan. The Yelabuga production facility, the largest of its kind in the world, is spearheading efforts to stockpile the weapons to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences with mass aerial bombardments. The footage, recorded by Zvezda, the Russian defence ministry's TV channel, is the first detailed look inside the plant. Students and staff are shown on the production line constructing row after row of matt black 'Geran-2' drones, the Russian-built version of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136. Teenagers are reportedly invited to the plant after finishing 9th grade at 15 years old, and most come from the nearby technical college. 'Everywhere you look, there's young people working here,' the voice-over says as the camera pans across what appear to be dozens of teenagers making drone components and working at computers on the bright factory floor. Shahed drones have become instrumental in Putin's plans to relentlessly pound Ukrainian cities and drain morale among the armed forces and terrorised civilians. It came as the Kremlin said on Sunday that achieving its war goals remains Russia's priority ahead of signing a peace deal with Ukraine, despite Donald Trump giving Moscow 50 days to agree to a ceasefire or face severe sanctions. European defence officials believe Russia plans to fire thousands of the relatively cheap Shahed drones every night as production increases. The new dark paintwork on the Russian models is believed to reflect an increasing focus on night-time attacks. Other footage released in Russia on Sunday showed the drones being launched from the back of what appear to be new model American-made Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks, seemingly in violation of sanctions. Credit: Zvezda/Russian state owned tv/X The video of the factories emphasised the plant's in-house production lines, showing metal foundries and a blacksmith's workshop, as well as assembly stations and testing facilities. It said Putin had noted the set-up at Yelabuga, suggesting it should be replicated across the country to reduce Russia's dependence on imports for manufacturing. Russia is now believed to be producing more than 5,000 long-range drones a month, with up to 18,000 units built at the Yelabuga plant in the first half of 2025 alone. A Kremlin-linked think tank claimed last month that drone production had jumped by 16.9 per cent in May. More than 500 drones and missiles are regularly fired at Ukraine in night time attacks, and analysts believe the Kremlin is close to being able to pound the country with more than 1,000 in a single day. On July 9, Russia carried out its largest attack yet, with 741 missiles and drones launched at Ukrainian towns and cities. Putin hopes that with repeated onslaughts, he can wear down morale among Ukraine's population, deplete Kyiv's defences and undermine the West's appetite to maintain its support. Geran-2 drones are relatively cheap to produce, costing between £26,000 and £37,200 per unit. Ukraine's western-supplied air defence systems are much more expensive, with a single Patriot missile interceptor costing over £4 million. Christian Freuding, a senior German army officer, warned this week that Ukraine and its allies would need to develop countermeasures costing £1,500 to £3,000 per unit in order for its air defence to be economically viable, given Russia's growing attacks. Mr Freuding also said he believed Russia is aiming to be able to launch 2,000 drones a night at Ukraine, which would pose a serious challenge to air defences. The Yelabuga site was opened in 2023 and is in the Alabuga special economic zone near Kazan, a high-tech manufacturing hub. If needed, drone technology can be shipped directly from Iran via the Caspian Sea as it sits on the Kama River, which flows into the Volga. Though more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, the facility appears to have been targeted by Kyiv. In June, Russian media reported that one person was killed when intercepted drone debris fell on a checkpoint in the area. The Geran-2 has a total length of 3.5 metres and a wingspan of 2.5 metres. It weighs around 200 kilograms, carries a 50kg warhead and can descend onto targets up to 1,800 kilometres away at speeds of up to 300kmph. Ukraine reported this week that it had shot down its 30,000th Shahed drone, using analysis of a serial number obtained from a fragment of one of the downed munitions.
CBC
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Russia touts strike drones made in factory on TV, where teens appear to be working on them
A Russian factory, described by its director as the world's biggest maker of strike drones, has been shown on the Russian army's TV channel with teenagers helping make kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine. The footage, in a documentary film broadcast by the Zvezda channe l on Sunday, showed hundreds of large black completed Geran-2 suicide drones in rows inside the secretive facility, which has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. Ukraine says Russia has used the Geran drones to terrorize and kill civilians in locations including its capital, Kyiv, where residents often shelter in metro stations during attacks. Russia says its drone and missile strikes target only military or military-related targets, and it denies deliberately targeting civilians — more than 13,000 of whom have been killed in Ukraine since the all-out war began in February 2022 after Russia invaded its neighbour, the United Nations says. Zvezda said the Alabuga factory, in Russia's Tatarstan region, invited school pupils to study at a college that the factory runs nearby once they had completed ninth grade so that they could study drone manufacturing there and then work at the factory when they had finished college. Young workers shown inside factory Young workers, including teenagers, were shown with their faces blurred out, studying computer screens or making and testing individual components, or assembling drones. Timur Shagivaleyev, the factory's general director, did not disclose detailed production figures. But he told Zvezda the initial plan had been to produce "several thousand Geran-2 drones" and that the factory was now producing nine times more than that. He did not say what period the figures referred to. A Russian think-tank close to the government suggested last month that Russia's drone production had jumped by 16.9 per cent in May compared with the previous month after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for output to be stepped up. Putin said in April that more than 1.5 million drones of various types had been produced last year but that Russian troops fighting on the front line in Ukraine needed more. More and more drones Both sides have deployed drones on a huge scale, using them to spot and hit targets not only on the battlefield but way beyond the front lines. Zvezda said the Alabuga factory had its own drone testing ground and showed rows of parked U.S. RAM pickup trucks carrying Geran-2 drones. It also showed one of them launching a drone. In May, Russia paraded combat drones that its forces use in the war in Ukraine on Moscow's Red Square in what state TV said was a first. The design of the Geran-2, which has a known range of at least 1,500 kilometres, originated in Iran, where an earlier version was made. They have been used to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zvezda set the documentary to upbeat music, part of its mission to keep Russians interested in and supportive of the war. The factory is part of the so-called Alabuga Special Economic Zone, near the town of Yelabuga, which is more than 1,000 kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin's 'dark destroyer' factory: Inside 'world's biggest drone plant' in Russia where army of teens make kamikaze killing machines to unleash on Ukraine
Russia has revealed what it claims is the largest drone production facility in the world. Located in a highly secretive complex in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, it employs teenagers to help build lethal kamikaze drones used in strikes on Ukraine. Footage broadcast by the Russian military's Zvezda TV channel shows rows of Gen-2 drones lined up inside the plant, ready to be deployed. The unnamed aerial vehicles are Russian-made versions of Iran 's Shahed-136 and have been used in deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities. Their black matte paint is designed to reduce visibility during night-time missions and evade air defence detection. The Alabuga plant is more than 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine's border and is part of a state-run special economic zone. Its director has boasted that production has exceeded expectations. Some reports suggest up to 18,000 units were built in the first half of 2025 alone. It's been reported that teenage students from the nearby Alabuga Polytechnic College are being trained in weapons manufacturing from the age of 14 or 15. Once they complete their education, many transition directly to the factory floor to join the assembly line. Footage shows these teenagers working on components, programming drones, and carrying out testing tasks, their faces blurred to conceal identities. Critics say this represents a dangerous militarisation of education, where children are being groomed into the defence industry and made to contribute directly to a brutal war. Reports from Russian media and leaked testimonies reveal that students are subjected to long working hours, sometimes without breaks, and are paid modest wages of about $335 to $445 per month. Contracts ban them from speaking about their work and impose severe financial penalties of up to $22,000 for violations. Families who resist or refuse participation can be forced to repay thousands of dollars in training costs, with surveillance reportedly used to enforce compliance. The drones produced at Alabuga have a range of up to 1,800 kilometres and are equipped with warheads capable of inflicting widespread destruction. Although Russia insists its drone strikes only target military sites, Ukraine and international observers accuse Moscow of using them to terrorise civilians. Kyiv has repeatedly reported drone attacks on residential areas, including the capital, where people take cover in underground shelters during nightly bombardments. The factory has also been linked to high-profile drone launches using repurposed American pickup trucks, which have been filmed carrying and firing the Geran-2. Russian state media showcased this as part of a broader campaign to boost public support for the war effort. President Vladimir Putin has called for an urgent increase in drone production, claiming more than 1.5 million unmanned systems were built last year. It is not the first time there has been news of children being used in Russia's war. Last month, Georgetown University published that thousands of children abducted from Ukrainian villages were being forcibly turned into soldiers.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Inside the ‘world's biggest' factory making Russian kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine
A Russian factory, described by its director as the world's biggest maker of strike drones, has been shown on the Russian army's TV channel with teenagers helping make kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine. The footage, in a documentary film broadcast by the Zvezda channel on Sunday, showed hundreds of large black completed Geran-2 suicide drones in rows inside the secretive facility, which has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. Ukraine says Russia has used the Geran drones to terrorise and kill civilians in locations including the capital Kyiv, where residents often shelter in metro stations during attacks. Russia says its drone and missile strikes target only military or military-related targets and denies deliberately targeting civilians, more than 13,000 of whom have been killed in Ukraine since the war began in 2022, the United Nations says. A Russian drone attacks a building in Kyiv, Ukraine. File photo: AP Zvezda said the Alabuga factory, in Russia's Tatarstan region, invited school pupils to study at a college the factory runs nearby once they had completed ninth grade (aged 14-15) so that they could study drone manufacturing there and then work at the factory when they had finished college. Young workers, including teenagers, were shown with their faces blurred out, studying computer screens or making and testing individual components, or assembling drones.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Russian TV shows teenagers making arms at 'world's biggest drone factory'
A factory in Russia, described by its director as the world's biggest maker of strike drones, has been shown on the Russian army's TV channel with teenagers helping make kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine. The footage, in a documentary film broadcast by the Zvezda channel on Sunday, showed hundreds of large black completed Geran-2 suicide drones in rows inside the secretive facility, which has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. Ukraine says Russia has used the Geran drones to terrorize and kill civilians in locations including the capital Kyiv, where residents often shelter in metro stations during attacks. Russia says its drone and missile strikes target only military or military-related targets and denies deliberately targeting civilians, more than 13,000 of whom have been killed in Ukraine since the war began in 2022, the United Nations says. Zvezda said the Alabuga factory, in Russia's Tatarstan region, invited school pupils to study at a college the factory runs nearby once they had completed ninth grade, at age 14 to 15, so that they could study drone manufacturing there and then work at the factory when they had finished college. Young workers, including teenagers, were shown with their faces blurred out, studying computer screens or making and testing individual components, or assembling drones. Timur Shagivaleyev, the factory's general director, did not disclose detailed production figures. But he told Zvezda the initial plan had been to produce "several thousand Geran-2 drones" and that the factory was now producing nine times more than that. He did not say what period the figures referred to. A Russian think tank close to the government last month suggested Russia's drone production had jumped by 16.9% in May compared to the previous month after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for output to be stepped up. Putin said in April that more than 1.5 million drones of various types had been produced last year, but that Russian troops fighting on the front line in Ukraine needed more. Both sides have deployed drones on a huge scale, using them to spot and hit targets not only on the battlefield but way beyond the front lines. Zvezda said the Alabuga factory had its own drone testing ground and showed rows of parked U.S. RAM pickup trucks carrying Geran-2 drones. It also showed one of them launching a drone. In May, Russia paraded combat drones that its forces use in the war in Ukraine on Moscow's Red Square in what state TV said was a first. The design of the Geran-2, which has a known range of at least 1,500 kilometers, originated in Iran where an earlier version was made. They have been used to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zvezda set the documentary to upbeat music, part of its mission to keep Russians interested in and supportive of the war. The factory is part of the so-called Alabuga Special Economic Zone, which is near the town of Yelabuga, which is over 1,000 km from the border with Ukraine.
