To address labor shortages and meet rising production demands, Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone is enlisting underage students to assemble drones amid its intensified operations in Ukraine. Social media posts and the US Treasury reveal that this factory, located 600 miles southeast of Moscow, has seen a significant increase in the production of Iranian-designed Shahed drones, more than doubling this year. As the need for drone manufacturing escalates, satellite images indicate ongoing expansion efforts at the facility. CNN’s Clare Sebastian provides an investigation into the situation, highlighting the unconventional measures being taken to sustain production.
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Cat videos, TikTok dances, even direct calls to help the war effort. This is how one of Russia’s main drone factories is overcoming crippling labor shortages and keeping up with soaring production targets. At the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, some 600 miles south-east of Moscow, underage students have been drafted in to assemble the UAVs, according to social media posts and the US Treasury. As Russia intensifies its drone offensive on Ukraine, the pressure to staff the factory is growing. Ukrainian defense intelligence sources told CNN that production of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone more than doubled at Alabuga this year, and satellite images reveal ongoing expansion. CNN’s Clare Sebastian investigates. #russia #drone
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