Russia mass-producing Shahed drones in Tatarstan for strikes on Ukraine: Details
Illustrative photo: The Russian Federation is mass-producing Shahed drones in Tatarstan for strikes against Ukraine (Getty Images)
The Russian Federation has increased its drone production capacity in an effort to intensify strikes on Ukraine. Due to a shortage of labor, factories are employing African women, Le Monde reports.
According to the outlet, the Russians are recruiting African women and promising them professional training and lucrative salaries. However, they do not specify what kind of work the women are expected to do.
In particular, in June alone, Russia launched nearly 3,000 Shahed drones at Ukrainian territory, which accounts for about 10% of the total number of this type of drone used over more than three years of war. Although most of the drones are shot down by air defense systems, launching them in such large numbers makes interception more difficult.
"Russia can afford these continuous salvos because it has significantly increased its production capacity. This kamikaze drone, originally imported from Iran, now has little in common with the Iranian version, as it is currently manufactured on the territory of the Russian Federation. What is unprecedented is that it is assembled by African workers, mainly from Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Zimbabwe," Le Monde writes.
Massive drone attacks
Russia has recently significantly increased its kamikaze drone strikes using Shaheds against Ukrainian territory. It is known that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, over 28,000 Shaheds have already been launched.
Recently, reports emerged that Shaheds are being equipped with new warheads weighing 90 kg — both domestically produced and of Iranian origin.
Moreover, there has been a recent instance of drones being outfitted with artificial intelligence, a camera, and radio control modules. You can read more about this in the report by RBC-Ukraine.
