Defense Express: Russia capable of producing 50 Shahed drones daily

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"There was a situation where impressive figures were coming in daily. As of Saturday, Western sources indicated, and our parallel calculations confirmed, that Russia has managed to produce approximately 4,700 Shahed drones in a year based on current data. There was also a concerning report that the Alabuga facility was expected to produce 6,000 Shaheds by September 2025. Unfortunately, the Russians exceeded their plan, producing those 6,000 Shaheds by August 2024. This means they can manufacture at least 4,700 Shaheds by next fall at that facility alone,” he explained.

Kyrychevskyi also noted that there may be various methods for delivering drones to Russia.

"It becomes unclear what they mean when they refer to kamikaze drones like the Garpiya-A3, as they are essentially writing about the same type of drones. On one hand, they suggest that the production of Shahed drones in Russia may not be limited to Alabuga and could involve other Iranian supplies, or even production at other facilities within the Russian military-industrial complex. For example, a subsidiary of the Almaz-Antey corporation, which primarily focuses on anti-aircraft missiles. This doesn't even take into account unconfirmed reports that China might also be producing the same Shaheds," he said.

Ivan Kyrychevskyi emphasized that Ukraine will need to further strengthen its air defense system. 

"There is even a concern that, judging by the defense support the United States is prepared to provide us in the coming months, air defense equipment will clearly be prioritized. Unfortunately, this is an objective reality. If we look at the current situation with the Shaheds, which the Russians are using, particularly on the front lines, we see that the Russians are relying heavily on aerial tactics. As a result of the massive production of Shaheds, we will need to invest in additional air defense resources and focus on air defense rather than ground forces that could help intensify combat operations on land in our favor," he added.

• In a recent night attack, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a Russian Shahed-136 drone equipped with SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications system. This development heightens the threat posed by the drone.