InformNapalm reported this development.
On Tuesday, April 2, the Armed Forces conducted drone strikes on the territory of the special economic zone "Alabuga" in the Yelabuga municipal district, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The objective was to target the local plant where Russian forces assemble the Iranian "Shahed 136" drones, designated as "Geranium-2" by the Russians, which have been used to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
However, according to Ukrainian hackers citing data obtained from the personal files of the company's CEO, Alexei Florov, it's not just kamikaze drones being produced in Yelabuga; the entire special economic zone is considered a military target.
InformNapalm reports that Albatross LLC has been manufacturing drones since 2017, initially in the Moscow region before relocating to Alabuga in 2023.
In December 2023, the US Department of Commerce imposed export restrictions on 28 Russian companies, including LLC "Albatross" and "Delfin Alabuga," both residents of the SEZ "Alabuga." Geomyr JSC, ALB.AERO LLC, Assistagro LLC, and GeomyrAgro LLC are also on the US sanctions list, with connections to Florov revealed through his personal correspondence.
The reason behind the US interest in Albatross LLC and its affiliates, according to the hackers, is the suspicion that the production base in Alabuga is involved in assembling Shahed-type drones.
Reports of Russia's intention to manufacture Iranian-designed military drones surfaced in fall 2022, with speculation about the plant's construction in the SEZ "Alabuga." In August 2023, investigative journalists, using Russian engineering documents and official correspondence, estimated Alabuga's plan to produce 6,000 drones by mid-2025. After complete technology transfer from Iran, Russia aims to manufacture up to 10,000 UAVs annually.
The leaked information reveals that Russian correspondence used code names; drones were referred to as "boats," and their explosives as "bumpers." The "Shahed-136" UAV was listed as a Dolphin 632 motorboat.
According to documents from Ukrainian hackers, Albatros' projected capacity is 1000 drones per year.
However, InformNapalm notes that the documents only contain details about the Dolphin project, specifying a production area of 40,000 square meters and "composite, assembly, and test production of products" with a planned output of 10,000 units annually, post-technology transfer from Iran.
"Not a coincidence, we believe. We likely have the confirmed Russian location for the production of Shahed-136/Geran-2 UAVs," stated InformNapalm, providing the main address as 423601 Republic of Tatarstan, urban settlement Yelabuga, SEZ "Alabuga," street Sh-1, str. 8/1.