Iran helps Russia scale drone production: up to 6,000 Shaheds expected by summer 2025
Russia has significantly boosted its production of combat drones with the direct assistance of Iran. According to an investigation by The Washington Post citing C4ADS analysts, the cooperation enables the Kremlin to carry out mass drone attacks against Ukraine.
Production of the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, rebranded in Russia as Geran-2, is underway at a facility in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. An upgraded version, Geran-3, is also under development. Russia is expected to produce up to 6,000 drones by mid-2025.
The joint drone production program is coordinated through Sahara Thunder, an Iranian company involved in transferring technology and managing financial flows. To bypass sanctions, payments are reportedly conducted via intermediaries in the UAE and involve transactions in gold.
These drones are routinely launched in waves during night attacks on Ukrainian targets. Some nights see up to 300 drones deployed in single attacks, illustrating the scale of Russian efforts.
According to C4ADS, the cooperation between two heavily sanctioned regimes shows how authoritarian states adapt to restrictions, posing new threats to global arms control and stability.