Russian Resistance Reportedly Infiltrated Alabuga Shahed Factory. Here’s What We Know

Key Points:

• The Russian resistance group Black Spark claims to have infiltrated Russia’s Alabuga facility, copying internal databases related to the production of Iranian-designed Shahed drones assembled under the Geran designation.
• Black Spark states its operatives spent months undercover inside the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, gaining access to factory servers and downloading information on personnel involved in assembling Geran-2 and Geran-3 drones.
• The group also alleges it sabotaged drones during assembly by placing hidden defects that will cause “unpleasant consequences” when the drones are launched, aiming to reduce attacks on Ukrainian cities.
• Black Spark operates covertly inside Russia in coordination with Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO), which publicly acknowledged cooperation with the group in 2025 and linked it to several operations inside Russia, including recent strikes on energy facilities.
• Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported that Russia is deploying a new jet-powered Geran-4 strike drone, sharing components with drones produced at the Alabuga factory, highlighting the strategic importance of the facility targeted by Black Spark.