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Russian Resistance Reportedly Infiltrated Alabuga Shahed Factory. Here’s What We Know
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A Russian resistance group known as Black Spark (Chornaya Iskra) claims its operatives infiltrated Russia’s Alabuga facility, where Iranian-designed Shahed drones are assembled under the Geran designation, and copied internal databases containing information on personnel involved in production.
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The claims were published by the group on X on June 28. They have not been independently verified.
So:
— Black Spark (@Black_Spark2) June 27, 2026
For several months, members of Black Spark worked inside that very "special economic zone" Alabuga. They gathered information from servers and discreetly downloaded databases on everyone involved in the assembly of "Geran-2" and "Geran-3" drones.
We also worked at the… https://t.co/EgotyhgLib pic.twitter.com/RCQbAkSuaU
According to Black Spark, its members spent several months working undercover inside the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, gaining access to the factory’s internal servers. The group said it downloaded databases containing information on individuals involved in assembling Geran-2 and Geran-3 drones, the Russian-produced versions of Iran’s Shahed loitering munitions.
The resistance movement also claimed its operatives sabotaged drones during the assembly process by placing unspecified “surprises” inside the aircraft. The group stated that when operators attempt to launch those drones, they will face “unpleasant consequences.”
“When operators try to launch these drones, they will face 'unpleasant consequences.' This will reduce the number of war criminals directly involved in launching Geran drones against Ukrainian cities,” the group wrote.
Black Spark describes itself as an underground resistance movement operating inside Russia in coordination with Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO). The group’s size, structure, and leadership remain undisclosed.
Ukraine’s SSO publicly acknowledged cooperation with Black Spark in 2025. Since then, Ukrainian officials have linked the movement to several operations inside Russia. Most recently, Ukrainian authorities said the group assisted in strikes targeting the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant and the Orenburg Helium Plant during the night of June 24.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported that Russia had begun deploying the new jet-powered Geran-4 strike drone, developed to counter Ukrainian interceptor drones. According to HUR, the UAV shares many electronic components with drones produced at the Alabuga factory, where Russia assembles its Shahed-derived Geran series.
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