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Russia Is Deploying Three Types of Shahed Drones Built With Foreign Parts

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer
A Ukrainian explosives expert examines parts of a Shahed 136 military drone that fell following an air-attack in Kharkiv on June 4, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
A Ukrainian explosives expert examines parts of a Shahed 136 military drone that fell following an air-attack in Kharkiv on June 4, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister, Serhiy Kyslytsia, released an analysis showing Russia currently fields at least three Shahed suicide-drone variants in strikes on Ukraine—and they differ sharply in how much imported electronics each contains, Kyslytsia reported on October 8.

Kyslytsia’s breakdown identifies the newest and most complex Russian-built variant as the Shahed “Alabuga” (aka “Geran”), assembled at a plant in Tatarstan. That version contains 294 imported components, split roughly 40.8% from China/Taiwan (120/294), 34.0% from the United States (100/294), and 25.2% from other countries (74/294).

A second Russian type, the Shahed “Izhevsk” (also called “Harpy”), uses fewer foreign parts—112 imported items—with the share split evenly between China/Taiwan and the US (40 components each, or 35.7% each) and the rest coming from other suppliers (28.6%, 32/112).

By contrast, the original Iranian Shahed design still in use contains 105 imported components, with US-sourced parts accounting for 40 of them (38.1%) and the remaining 65 components (61.9%) supplied by other countries.

Kyslytsia stressed that the models also differ in build quality and the degree of Russian modification. The Alabuga/Geran machines, he noted, rely heavily on imported processors, microcontrollers, analog-to-digital converters, and other high-end parts—in short, “an assembly built on foreign electronics with minimal structural changes.”

On the other hand, the Izhevsk builds show a higher proportion of localized parts (including a Russian navigation module), simplified flight-control systems, and more domestically produced components—an approach aimed at reducing import dependence.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that Russian jet-powered Shahed drones were built with critical components sourced from the United States, China, Switzerland, and several other countries.

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