This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to intelligence sources, the facility housed 65 fuselages of attack drones, along with engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 units of Shahed-136. All of this, as per GUR data, has been destroyed.
The losses incurred from the destruction of the Russian equipment are estimated at 16 million dollars.
“The mysterious devastating fire represents another blow to the military-industrial complex of terrorist Russia. The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reminds that for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people, there will be just retribution,” the statement reads.
This is not the first time the factory producing “shaheds” in Tatarstan has been targeted. The Alabuga economic zone is owned by the government of the Republic of Tatarstan and, according to U.S. data, maintains a contract with the Russian military for the assembly of Shahed drones. The U.S. Treasury has forecasted that this special economic zone aims to ramp up production to manufacture thousands of drones by 2025.
According to media reports, the Russians were recruiting female students from Africa, including Uganda, to work in “Alabuga.” The offer included skilled employment with a salary three times higher than the average wage in Uganda, airfare, free housing, and a university diploma to join the work and study program.