Russia May Export a New Version of the Shahed-136 Drone to Iran

A Russian journalist states this during the broadcast of a documentary on the country’s largest drone factory: “Such mass production of two-stroke engines is found nowhere else in Russia.”

CNN, in an article authored by Vasco Cotovio, Saskia Wandorn, Victoria Butenko, Claire Sebastian, and Allegra Goodwin, noted that CNN counted over 170 drones in a Russian Ministry of Defense documentary depicting the production process inside the Alabuga drone factory. “Finally, something no one else has.” This is stated by a Russian reporter during the documentary on the nation’s largest drone factory. “Such mass production of two-stroke engines is nowhere else in Russia.”

According to the report, the factory in question, Alabuga, is located 600 miles east of Moscow in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and is producing an increasing number of the Shahed-136 attack drones designed by Iran — known in Russia as the “Kraan.”

The CEO of the complex, Timur Shagivalev, considers this possibly one of its greatest achievements.

In the documentary, he explains: “This is a complete complex. Aluminum billets are imported, engines are manufactured from them; microelectronics are built from electronic chips; bodies are made of carbon fiber and fiberglass — it is a complete integrated facility.”

This claim indicates that the production of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone, which has been the backbone of Moscow’s drone warfare against Ukraine, has now been almost entirely absorbed into Russia’s military-industrial machinery. Analysts and intelligence officials believe that 90 percent of the production stages are now carried out at Alabuga or other Russian facilities.

Recent satellite imagery shows the site is still expanding, with new manufacturing facilities and dormitories enabling exponential production growth. Analysts interviewed by CNN believe this growth will allow Russia to produce a new, updated, and battle-tested version of the drone — initially imported from Iran — and potentially even export it back to Iran.

However, a Western intelligence source says this expansion and full integration of the Shahed-136 inside Russia has effectively sidelined Iran and exposed the rift between Moscow and Tehran.

According to the source, Tehran is increasingly dissatisfied with the limited returns it has received from Russia’s support, which has included drones, missiles, and other equipment.

This discontent peaked during Israel’s 12-day bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear weapons program in June; a period when Russia’s condemnatory statements were seen in Tehran as minimal support for a country that has assisted Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Iran may have expected Russia to take more actions or take more steps unilaterally,” Ali Akbar Darini, an analyst at the Strategic Studies Center affiliated with the Iranian Presidency, told CNN. “They may not intervene militarily, but they could enhance operational support, for example in weapons deliveries, technology assistance, intelligence sharing, or similar areas.”

But the Western intelligence official said Russia’s cold approach was not surprising and reflected the “purely transactional and profit-driven nature” of Russia’s cooperation with Iran.

He added: “This evident indifference shows that Russia never acts beyond its immediate interests, even when its partner — here the vital supplier of drones — is under attack.”

Strategic Partnership

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow began importing Iranian Shahed drones. By early 2023, Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.75 billion deal for Russia to produce these drones domestically.

Under the initial contract, 6,000 drones were to be produced by September 2025, but this target was reached approximately a year early. According to Ukrainian defense intelligence, Alabuga now produces over 5,500 units per month — more efficiently and at a lower cost.

A Ukrainian defense intelligence source said: “In 2022, Russia paid on average $200,000 per drone. In 2025, that number has fallen to about $70,000.”

Ukraine also reports Russia has improved the drone, with enhanced communication systems, longer-lasting batteries, and much larger warheads, making it deadlier and harder to shoot down.

The Western intelligence official said Iran initially seemed to welcome Russia’s effort to localize about 90 percent of Shahed-136 production at Alabuga, but Moscow’s upgrades surprised Tehran.

He added: “This development signals a gradual loss of Iranian control over the final product, which is now mostly produced locally and independently.” The ultimate goal of Moscow, he said, is “full mastery of the production cycle and liberation from future negotiations with Tehran.”

Darini does not find Russia’s exploitative behavior unexpected and describes the two countries’ relationship as “simultaneous cooperation and competition”: “It is clear that the Russians want to take more and give less, and the same applies to Iran. Iran has given Russia drones, technology, and factories, and it has not been free.”

However, during the expansion process, the Western official says Alabuga has failed to meet commitments to Iranian partners. According to him, besides losing control over the final product, Iranian officials and companies, including Sahra Thunder, have complained of some unpaid payments, partly due to the suffocating international sanctions that have challenged Russia’s economy for over three years.

CNN has been unable to independently verify these claims. The network requested comments from Alabuga’s management but received no response.

The intelligence official added: “These obstacles have added to Tehran’s dissatisfaction with the bottlenecks that have prevented the transfer of Russian aerospace technologies to Iran — which Moscow had promised in exchange for Tehran’s support.”

Efforts to Preserve the Relationship?

A ceasefire between Israel and Iran has largely caused Tehran to withdraw from the international arena to begin reconstruction, reorganization, and damage compensation. Besides the well-known damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israel has also targeted several other Iranian centers.

David Albright, former UN inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, believes Alabuga’s expansion may allow Moscow to provide significant support to Iran and return some updated versions of the Shahed drones.

He said: “Some of Iran’s drone production facilities have been bombed, and they have launched many drones, so replenishing stocks this way is possible. Then Iran could either reverse-engineer or receive technology to manufacture higher-quality Shahed drones.”

He added: “I think this is very dangerous.”

Other military equipment may also be en route to Tehran. Open-source flight tracking data shows that a military cargo aircraft, an Ilyushin-76 operated by Gleex Airlines, flew from Moscow to Tehran on July 11.

The Ilyushin-76 is a heavy transport plane typically used to move troops and military equipment, and Gleex Airlines has previously been associated with transferring military supplies. The plane stopped in Tehran for about three hours before returning to Moscow.

CNN could not confirm the cargo of this flight, but Iranian media reported that the flight was carrying the latest components of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

CNN sought comments from the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding tensions between the two countries but received no response. The network also contacted the Iranian government both in Tehran and through its embassy in the UK but received no reply.

These recent developments highlight Darini’s core belief about the relationship between the two countries: although tensions may exist, Iran ultimately benefits from this partnership. He said: “Iran has obtained what it needs for its security and is likely to continue obtaining it — whether military hardware, economic cooperation, technology, or anything else necessary.”