Russian drone manufacturer Supercam is converting Ryazan’s Solnechny shopping center into its newest production facility, ordering all tenants to vacate the 17,250-square-meter complex by 31 January 2025, Defense Express reports. The facility’s total territory of 80,000 square meters suggests potential for future expansion.
The move, also reported by the Russian media Aif Ryazan, represents a significant expansion of Russia’s drone production capacity crucial for its war against Ukraine, which is also ramping up UAV output. A new drone manufacturing facility will be located just 460 kilometers from the Ukrainian border—notably closer than existing facilities in Izhevsk, which are located over 1,200 kilometers from Ukraine.
The facility, part of the Bespilotnye Sistemy group of companies, is known for producing the Supercam S350 reconnaissance drone with a reported range of 240 kilometers and communication range of 70-100 kilometers, Defense Express says. The company has previously announced plans to begin manufacturing strike drones, suggesting this expansion may support those ambitions.
![Russian drones Ukraine war](https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Supercams350-1024x599.jpg)
The conversion in Ryazan follows a pattern of aggressive expansion in Russia’s drone manufacturing sector.
On 17 February 2024, a significant fire engulfed 3,500 square meters of the converted “Novy Dom” shopping center in Izhevsk, the Russian TG channel reported. While Russian emergency services officially described it as a “professional cleaning products manufacturing facility,” the site had been openly recruiting personnel for drone production, tentatively for assembling “Granat-4” drones.
![Russia drone factory fire](https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fire-Izhevsk-1024x576.jpg)
The Moscow Times detailed how this industrial transformation accelerated in September 2023 when Aeroscan, a subsidiary of the ZALA Aero group that produces loitering munitions like the Italmas long-range kamikaze drone for use in Russia’s war against Ukraine, acquired the “Stolitsa” shopping center in Izhevsk.
The company’s eviction notices warned tenants that any property left after 15 October 2023, would be “considered worthless” and disposed of at the landlord’s discretion.
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Notably, Aeroscan’s owner, Nikita Zakharov, is the son of Alexander Zakharov, co-founder of ZALA group, which produces “Lancet” kamikaze drones, had earlier already purchased another shopping mall in Izhevsk, ordering tenants to vacate the premises by 31 January 2023. This was not the only shopping mall converted to a drone production site: another drone manufacturer, NPO IzhBS, purchased the Novy Dom shopping center in Izhevsk.
Local resistance has emerged in affected cities. Activists launched a Change.org petition opposing the conversions, specifically citing the precedent of placing “dangerous production facilities in densely populated areas.” Despite these concerns, companies have continued aggressive recruitment campaigns, with some positions offering monthly salaries up to 250,000 rubles for specialists including:
- Electronics assembly technicians
- Radio electronics installers
- Machinists
- Engineering personnel
The Russian Emergency Ministry’s attempts to obscure these conversions – such as describing the Izhevsk fire location as “Izhsintez-Khimprom” chemical plant – highlight the sensitive nature of these operations. However, local media reports confirm the facilities’ true purpose.
Recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Ryazan demonstrate the strategic vulnerability of Supercam’s new location, just 460 kilometers from Ukraine. The former shopping center’s coordinates (54.643, 39.716) now represent a legitimate military target, significantly closer to Ukraine than the 1,200-kilometer distance to Izhevsk facilities.
![Russia drone production in shopping malls](https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Solnechnyi-1024x634.jpg)
This pattern of converting retail spaces appears driven by several factors:
- Existing infrastructure suitable for rapid conversion
- Built-in climate control and security systems
- Large, open floor plans ideal for production lines
- Established power and utility connections
- Strategic locations in transportation networks
The company “Bespilotnye Sistemy,” which includes Supercam, has also indicated plans to expand into strike drone production, suggesting these converted facilities may soon manufacture offensive weapons alongside reconnaissance drones.
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