Published on August 12, 2025, 10:33 AM EDT – Key Points and Summary – Russia is now mass-producing Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones at a massive factory in Alabuga, effectively cutting Tehran out of the process and creating a major “rift” between the two allies.
-According to a Western intelligence source, Russia’s goal is to fully master the production cycle, leaving Iran feeling marginalized and impatient with the lack of reciprocal support from Moscow.
-This growing tension is further fueled by Russia’s tepid support for Iran during its recent war with Israel and allegations that Moscow may have been tipped off about the Israeli strikes in advance.
How Russia ‘Stole’ Iran’s Killer Drone and is Now Mass-Producing It
At a factory in Alabuga, 600 miles east of Moscow, Russia has been manufacturing the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 attack drone, amidst a war in Ukraine in which drones have been increasingly important.
It is, per CNN, the largest drone factory in Russia, one that is only growing larger over time. The story cites a Russian-produced documentary in which CEO Timur Shagivaleev calls it “a complete facility.”
Russia began importing the drones from Iran early on in its war with Ukraine. This led, in 2023, to a $1.75 billion deal that allowed Russia to manufacture the drones domestically. The facility is now, per the CNN report, “pumping out more than 5,500 units per month.”
The Russians have also managed to upgrade the capabilities of the drones.
Satellite imagery shows that the factory is getting so big that Russia could scale drone production to the point where they could export the Shahed drones, even back to Iran itself.
However, CNN also reported something else about this dynamic: It has led to a “rift’ between the two countries, over Russia seeming to cut Iran out of the process.
Cutting out Tehran
“A Western intelligence source says the expansion and the complete Russian integration of the Shahed-136, have effectively marginalized Iran, revealing a rift between Moscow and Tehran,” CNN reported about the tensions.
“They say Tehran has been growing increasingly impatient with the little return it’s received from Russia, despite having supported Moscow’s war effort with not just drones, but missiles and other assets.”
Adding to the tension was Russia’s tepid support during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June. Israel, for their part, has mostly tried to stay neutral in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Iran may have expected Russia to do more or take more steps without being required to do so,” Ali Akbar Dareini, an analyst for the Tehran-based Center for Strategic Studies told CNN. “They may not intervene militarily, but they may beef operative support, in terms of weapons shipments, technological support, intelligence sharing, or things like that.”
Meanwhile, one Western intelligence official weighed in to CNN, pointing to the “purely transactional and utilitarian nature” of the relationship between Russia and Iran.
“This explicit disengagement demonstrates that Russia never intervenes beyond its immediate interests, even when a partner – here an essential supplier of drones – is attacked,” the intelligence official said.
That official also said that while Iran originally appeared happy to help Russia make the drones domestically, things have changed.
“A Loss of Control”
“This evolution marks a gradual loss of control for Iran over the final product, which is now largely manufactured locally and independently,” the intelligence source told CNN. Their goal, per the source, was “to fully master the production cycle and free itself from future negotiations with Tehran.”
However, David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) think tank, told CNN that Russia might end up selling some drones back to Iran, especially after Iran’s stock was depleted, both afer their fired a lot of them, and Israel bombed their facilities during the June war.
Meanwhile, according to Iran International, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, an Iranian government hardliner, has alleged that Israel alerted Russia in advance of its plans to attack Iran in June, as part of a plan to overthrow the Iranian regime.
“(Some people) in Israel contacted certain officials within Russia’s Foreign Ministry two to three days before the attack,” Saffar-Harandi alleged, adding that Israel had told the Russians, wrongly it turned out, that the Iranian regime would fall within days.
“From Russia’s unfulfilled promises to deliver defense systems like the S-400 and Su-35 fighter jets, to repeated delays in military cooperation, all suggest that this partnership is not based on mutual trust, but rather on opportunistic, short-term interests,” the reformist Shargh daily wrote earlier this month, per Iran International.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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