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Putin Hugged the Man Behind Russia’s Jet-Powered Shahed Program—OSINT Identifies Him
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Ukrainian OSINT researchers have identified a senior executive at Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone as the man who presented the new jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 attack drones to Vladimir Putin during Russia’s Center-2026 military exercises.
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According to Evocation.info on October 3, the man seen briefing Putin was Ildar Tazutdinov, a senior executive at Alabuga, the Russian industrial complex involved in producing Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones.
Russia practiced an offensive into the territory of a neighboring state and the creation of a "security zone" there during the Center-2026 military exercises in Russia's Chelyabinsk region. Putin personally came to inspect the drills.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) October 3, 2026
The country envisioned in the scenario was… pic.twitter.com/VHBdGEzuPY
The identification followed the publication of footage from the Chebarkulsky training ground in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, where Putin inspected new Russian weapons on October 2.
In the video, Tazutdinov described the capabilities of the Geran-4 and Geran-5 before concluding: “We are ready to continue striking the enemy in the same way. That concludes my report!” Putin then shook his hand and embraced him, according to footage analyzed by Evocation.info.
Interfax reported on October 2 that Putin had been shown both jet-powered Geran variants during his visit to the training ground. According to the presentation, the Geran-4 uses a jet engine allowing it to reach approximately 350 km/h, carry a 50-kilogram warhead, and operate at a range of around 750 to 800 kilometers.
The larger Geran-5 was described as having a speed of up to 450 km/h, a 90-kilogram warhead, and a maximum range of roughly 900 kilometers. Evocation.info identified Tazutdinov as one of the executives connected to Alabuga’s drone program.
His involvement with the facility has previously been documented by the US government. In February 2024, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Ildar Rashitovich Tazutdinov, identifying him at the time as Alabuga’s deputy director general of corporate affairs.
Treasury said he had been involved in the shipment and import of materials and disassembled Iranian UAVs to Russia in connection with drone production at Alabuga.
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The US Treasury said Alabuga officials were involved in producing Iranian-designed UAVs, including the Shahed-136 and its Russian Geran-2 variant, as well as importing components from Iran for the program.
The Geran-4 and Geran-5 represent newer jet-powered additions to Russia’s expanding family of long-range attack drones. Their higher speeds make interception more difficult than with earlier propeller-driven Shahed-type UAVs, prompting Ukraine to develop and deploy faster drone interceptors designed specifically to engage such targets.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence identified 20 pieces of foreign-made industrial equipment being used at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone to produce various Geran drone modifications, including machinery from China, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Iran.
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