“Alabuga” plans to establish large-scale drone production on the territory of Azovstal, specifically utilizing the plant’s existing underground infrastructure and quickly setting up an industrial line. “Alabuga is a complex of manufacturing facilities located in a special economic zone in the Yelabuga District of the Republic of Tatarstan. This area is home to enterprises that began producing Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and Mohajer-6 reconnaissance drones at the beginning of 2024. The production is being scaled up due to the significant needs of the Russian army.
As is known, Ukrainian defenders held this strategic facility for 86 days. The underground concrete bunkers sheltered personnel from artillery shelling and allowed for the storage of military assets, ammunition, and other supplies. Despite intense bombardment, Russian forces only destroyed part of the above-ground structures of Azovstal. The occupying administration has instructed an assessment of the condition of the engineering structures and to report to the military-political leadership.

As is known from the correspondence of the general director of the company “Alabuga” Shagivalyev and the chairman Pushylin’s terrorist group “Donetsk People’s Republic” interaction between self-governing bodies is being established regarding the construction and adaptation of underground facilities for the launch of a drone manufacturing line. This decision is presumably an attempt to reduce logistics costs and accelerate the operational supply of these types of weapons. The advancement to the administrative borders of the Donetsk region of Ukraine remains a strategic task for the Russian army, for which air supremacy is necessary.
As of the end of 2024, the group of enterprises has acquired the following capabilities:
– Production of metal parts – assembly components, hinges, rods, etc.
– Molding and curing of fuselage parts from composite materials in an autoclave.
– Creation and/or assembly of electronic components and electrical circuits.
– Production and/or assembly of the engine-fuel system.
Among these components, if we are discussing efficient final production, the key aspect is indeed the creation of the UAV fuselage, which can already be filled with ready-made components. Additionally, the “Alabuga” territory houses a carbon fiber production facility, “Alabuga-Fibre,” from “Rosatom,” which produces both the raw material and the fiber itself. At the same time, the production of metal parts requires only the installation of the appropriate machine park.
It is worth noting that Azovstal is a destroyed metallurgical plant in Mariupol. It was a Ukrainian monopoly in producing certain types of rolled metal, a company with a full metallurgical cycle. In terms of gross income, it ranked third among metallurgical enterprises in Ukraine. Annually, it produced 6 million tons of pig iron, 7 million tons of steel, 4.5 million tons of rolled products, and 1.5 million tons of agglomerate.
Given Russia’s expansion of production capabilities, Ukraine needs long-range weapons to deliver preemptive strikes. Partner countries need to develop an effective mechanism to strengthen sanctions against China and Iran, which provide technologies for scaling production.