US on new drone-manufacturing facility in Russia: Many more drones to come
US intelligence has suggested that a Shahed drone manufacturing facility in Russia will have a "significant" negative impact on the war in Ukraine.
Source: CNN, citing analysts from the US Defense Intelligence Agency
Details: Analysts from the Defense Intelligence Agency said that the drone-manufacturing facility, which is currently under construction in Russia, is expected to provide Russia with a new drone stockpile that is "orders of magnitude larger" than what it has been able to procure from Iran so far.
The analysts also said that Iran provides Russia with equipment designed to facilitate the completion of the manufacturing plant. The construction is likely to wrap up by early 2024.
CNN wrote that in April, the US released a satellite image of the planned location of the purported drone manufacturing plant, inside Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone about 960 kilometres east of Moscow.
The defence intelligence analysts added that Iran has provided Russia with over 400 Shahed-131, Shahed-136 and Mohajer drones to date, "a stockpile that Russia has almost completely depleted," CNN wrote.
Background:
- The UK Defence Intelligence reported that since 18 July, Russia has increased the number of missile and drone attacks on Odesa and port infrastructure in Ukraine's south after the Kremlin's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
- Russia’s attacks damaged several grain depots in the Chornomorsk port and Odesa’s historic centre. On 24 July, Russia deployed drones to strike docks on the River Danube, some 200 metres away from the Ukrainian-Romanian border.
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