Satellite images reveal two-layer defense system around Alabuga Shahed drone plant
Read NV on Google
Experts conclude that protection against drone and missile attacks is being built around the drone production facility in Alabuga (Photo: Video screenshot / Channel 5 / YouTube)
Satellite imagery shows the construction of a large-scale defensive system around a strike drone production plant in Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, analyst Spencer Faragasso of the Institute for Science and International Security said on Aug. 30.
High-resolution satellite images from Vantor and Airbus taken in July and August show dozens of large lattice towers appearing around drone production facilities and other sites involved in manufacturing, according to the report.
Experts said the defensive system consists of two rings of towers.
The inner perimeter consists of lower structures directly surrounding the main production facilities. The outer perimeter consists of taller towers covering a wider area.
Analysts believe the structures are designed to support a metal cable net intended to protect the facilities. Such a system would make it more difficult to strike the production sites with cruise missiles and attack drones.
Construction of the towers began around May 18, analysts said, citing satellite imagery. By the end of July, Alabuga had made significant progress in building the outer security perimeter, which consists of larger towers and surrounds the Alabuga-Volokno production facilities.
The new defensive structures are being built as Ukraine increasingly strikes targets across Russia with drones and FP-5 cruise missiles, analysts said.
Alabuga is a special economic zone in Russia and the country’s main production site for Geran drones, Russian copies of Iranian-designed Shaheds, as well as Gerbera drones. It is located near the city of Yelabuga and covers about 4,000 hectares.
In May, it was reported that the territory of Russia’s main Shahed production site had expanded by 340 hectares over the previous year.
Compared with May 2025, construction of new hangars was continuing in the northern part of Alabuga as of May 2026. New residential and production facilities were also completed in the central part of the zone during that period.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
