This is the second part of a series of materials based on the specified mail hack, in which we will talk about the close cooperation of "Albatross" and Kaspersky Lab.
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Ukrainian hackers of the team conducted a multi-level CYBINT operation, during which they obtained more than 100 GB of information and closed data of the Russian limited liability company ALBATROS. This data includes thousands of pages of internal documentation, technical data and drawings of various types of Albatros UAVs. Materials that confirm the ways of circumventing sanctions on the part of the Russian Federation.
And documents related to the production of the Shahed-2 kamikaze drone, also known in public as the Geran-136. Most of these materials have been used for several months in the interests of the Ukrainian defense forces and are not yet subject to disclosure. The first part of a series of materials was published today. This part can be considered as an introduction to the topic of studying the document “Albatross”. To make the connection more understandable to the reader, the publication contains relevant references and contexts that became known earlier in the course of other journalistic investigations.
On April 2, 2024, the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck with a kamikaze drone on the territory of the so-called special economic zone “Alabuga”, located on the territory of Yelabuga city district in the Republic of Tatarstan, a subject of the Russian Federation.
The target of the attack is the factory in Yelabuz, where the terrorists assemble the Iranian Shahid 2 under the Russian brand Geran-136 and regularly carry out attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
After the corresponding attack, the Rashists used all their agents of influence in the international arena to try to shift the focus on this event. Thus, during the briefing on 4/3, the press secretary of the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric commented on the attack on “private infrastructure” in response to operational questions from journalists about the attack on Tatarstan facilities. “We oppose all attacks on civilian infrastructure and call for them to stop,” he said.
Based on the received documents, Yelabuz will not only produce kamikaze drones in a separate workshop, but will also show that the entire territory of the special economic zone is a solid military object, which is a legitimate military target for destruction.
As mentioned at the beginning of the post, this CYBINT study was made possible by hacking “CyberResistance” Albatros LLC, a Russian drone mae hacker who obtained over 100 GB of internal company data to gain access to the personal data of Oleksiy Florov, the CEO of that company.
Why and how agricultural drones became military, which western parts are used in the assembly of UAVs, and why Kaspersky Corporation has not yet been sanctioned – we will describe in the following parts of the investigation. For now, let’s focus on “Alabuz” itself.
Albatros LLC has been producing drones since 2017, and the first years of its existence were located in the Moscow region. However, from 2023, the company becomes a resident of Alabuga.
In December 2023, the US Department of Commerce imposed export restrictions against 28 companies from Russia. Two of them are residents of the SEZ “Alabuga”. We are talking about Albatros LLC, which produces drones, and Delfin Alabuga, which produces motor boats.
In January 2023, RBC Tatarstan published the news that drones and motor boats will be produced in Alabuz. Albatros LLC and Dolphin Alabuga LLC appeared in the publication. What is more, Florov was named in this publication as a “representative of Delfin Alabuga”.
It follows from the correspondence of Florov that all these companies are directly or indirectly related to him. Yes, he is the director of the company Geomir, namely Aero. In addition, the company Albatross has a joint project with Assistagro.
Why are Americans so interested in “Albatross” and its related persons? Because there are reasons to believe that it is at the production base of “Albatross” in “Alabuz” that the Russians collect Shaheds.
Before the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the special economic zone “Arabga” was very attractive for domestic and foreign investments. The absence of taxes on land, real estate, transport and very low income tax rates in the territory of the zone led to the rapid development of business here. In 2016, Arabuga accounted for 74% of all foreign investments in Tatarstan.
In connection with the aggression against Russia and the introduction of tougher sanctions, many foreign companies began to reduce their activities in this economic zone. How to fill an empty room or a workshop in a country that is transitioning to military lines is a rhetorical question. The special economic zone is the Military-Industrial Complex.
“Alabuga” will take part in the implementation of the mobilization task, and the authorities of Yelabuga will discuss with the heads of local companies how to conduct the elections of President Putin.
Information about Russia’s plans to manufacture military drones of Iranian design on its territory appeared as early as the fall of 2022, The Washington Post reported. In June 2023, the spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, reported data from the US intelligence services that Tehran was supplying Russia with equipment for the joint production of kamikaze drones. Then the media said that the plant was being built on the territory of the SEZ “Alabuga”, and the White House published a photo of the probable location of the workshops where production takes place.
In August 2023, The Washington Post published another story on the subject, based on leaked Russian engineering documents and official correspondence.
Based on these data, investigative journalists concluded that Alabuz plans to produce 6,000 drones by the summer of 2025. To achieve this goal, Russian engineers need to improve outdated Iranian technologies, increase production capacity and improve quality control.
Thanks to the leak, it became clear that the Russians used code names in their correspondence and other documents: the drones were “boats” (“моторные лодки”), their explosives were “bumpers”. It also became clear from the leak that the “Shahed-136” UAV, which in Russia is marked as “Geran-2”, is listed in the documents as a Dolphin 632 motor boat. That is, a dolphin.
And what is interesting is that after the complete transfer of technology from Iran, the aggressor country of the Russian Federation plans to produce up to 10,000 units of kamikaze drones per year.
Documents obtained by “Cyberresistance” confirm previously published data.
So, in 2024/3, “Alabuga” was to be visited by the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Andriy Bilousov, who is also the head of the Government Commission for the Development of Unmanned Aviation Systems.
As it becomes clear from the documents accompanying the preparation of this visit, in 2023/6, Putin identified 10 regions of the Russian Federation where a research and production center for unmanned aircraft systems should be created as a matter of priority. This year, funds are allocated to 3 regions, and Arabuga wants to become one of them, along with the cities of Samara and Tomsk. 1 in the draft letter to Bilousov, it is separately indicated that the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia will be appointed at the “existing production facilities of the Albatross and the Dolphin.”
It is very strange to show the production of dolphin motorboats to a person who is the chairman of the Committee for the Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. But if it is “Shahid” and not boats, then the question disappears. Let’s look at the list of “Alabuga” objects that we plan to show Bilousov.
The list presents the main objects of “Alabuga”. The name of the enterprise, the production capacity for the current year and a description are also indicated here: what kind of object it is, what it is intended for and what stage the preparation is at.
From this document it follows that the planned capacity of albatross is 1000 unmanned aerial vehicles per year. In addition to drones, the company produces equipment and devices for measurement, testing and navigation.
You can also see which companies are already operating and which are still under construction. For example, Yakovlev’s design bureau, located in the Synergy13.2 building, is designed for research and development work in the field of aviation, engines, electronic boards, and communications. The center was opened in 2023-2012.
Another operating company is the educational center “Alabuga Polytech”.1 As you can see, the planned capacity of this center is 10,000 people per year.
Two projects are still at the commissioning stage:
a project for the production of internal combustion engines (located in the Synergy 13.1 building with a planned capacity of 40,000 units per year;
a project for the production of electronic components (building “Synergy 8.1”) with a planned capacity of 160,000 units per year.
But the most interesting thing for us is in the 2nd paragraph of this table.
Dolphin project (creating synergy). There is no note on this mysterious product, and the SPECIFICATIONS are based on the production area (40,000 sq m) and the vague phrase “assembly, harvesting and trial PRODUCTION OF PRODUCTS”. “What products? Unknown. But the planned quantity of these “products” is indicated. – 10,000 units per year.
What kind of production is this? What is this “Dolphin” project for 1 million pieces per year?
Let’s go back to the Dolphin 1 motorboat leak, which revealed that the company plans to expand production to 632 million units a year after transferring technology from Iran to Russia.
Coincidence? We don’t think so. We probably have the location of the production of the Shahed-136/Geran-2 UAV confirmed by the Russians.
As you can see, this table also helps to understand the placement of enterprises. The “Dolphin” project is located in the “Synergy 8.2” building. The American Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) monitors Russian shaheed production, and in a September update on the progress of the deployment of drone production, it showed satellite images of the same workshops that were released last summer by the White House.
As you can see, the case on the left is labeled 8.2, and the case on the right is 8.1. On the website of “Albatross” it is indicated that their main address is 423601 Republic of Tatarstan, city settlement Yelabuga, territory of SEZ “Alabuga”, St. Sh-1, str. 8/1. As it is confirmed in the materials of the Center for Journalistic Investigations, the building on the right is Synergy 8.1, where the Albatrosses are assembled. Accordingly, the case on the left is “Synergy 8.2” and there is the “Dolphin” project – the production of motor boats, and de facto – shached boats.
The place of production of Shahed is established and confirmed by direct Russian documents. So let’s take a look at the people involved in the production. 2 letters from the data set reveal who exactly is working not only on the creation of drones in Yelabuz, but also on establishing cooperation with Iran in this area.
The first letter contains a request from Ramis Sakhabutdinov, a senior security and access control specialist at OEZ PVT “Alabuga” JSC. He called for an immediate investigation of many employees, as requests were received from “colleagues at a higher level.” “All employees who it is necessary to fill out questionnaires, allegedly involved in the production of “motor boats”. The questionnaires, in which the employees must fill out, concern information about the contact telephone numbers used by motor boat manufacturers, the availability of passports and foreign trips since 2014, as well as about the degree of kinship and close people. It is clear that the manufacturer of the “motor boat” is closely watched by the security service.
A more thorough study of the biography of the person whose name and position is indicated in the list will remove suspicions that the “motorboat” actually flies. We have already written about Florov – he is the ideological inspiration, business contact and business model of the manufacturer of the Albatros drone.
Let’s recall the “chief designer of the production of motor boats” Kostiantyn Spiridonov. In our opinion, the first of the dates given in the table is the moment of official employment of a citizen of the Arab Republic, and the second is the date of birth. Spiridonov, like Frolov, is one of the first to be accepted into service on January 27, 2023.
This is not surprising, because Spiridonov also works at Albatross, and he is the head of the production unit or the “child” of the company. Actually, this is exactly what is stated in the signature of a commercial e-mail.
Turning to other details, he has a rather specific personal e-mail address for a “motorboat designer”: [email protected]
“Fighter pilot” or “sniper pilot” is a pseudonym that Spiridonov often uses in his online activity. In particular, he uses these nicknames with the identifier of his personal VKontakte page or as a pseudo-developer of ARMA3 game modification (1 of Spiridonov’s hobbies).
The Vkontakte page is closed, but there is access to old photos. All of them do not indicate the “sea” direction of Spiridonov’s interests.
His education is also specific for a designer of aircraft.
After all, you can give the word to the hero himself. Back in 2020, Spiridonov stated in an interview that his main work is designing Albatross drones, not mods for computer games, for example.
And this is a photo from 2017, where Spiridonov demonstrates the wing of a drone. Photo obtained from the “Albatross” leak.
The important role of Florov and Spiridonov in the development of unmanned aviation in Yelabuz is confirmed by other documents. Before moving to the territory of the SEZ in early 2023, the company presented a business plan for consideration by the management of the economic zone (it concerned the production facility “Albatross”). The document contains a separate clause about the administrator and his duties. For example, about the documentation and secrecy of the flora. About Spiridonov – technological developments and “inventions”.
However, the production of UAVs in Arabuza is not just an albatross. The entire economic zone participates in this, including the vocational school “Alabuzh Polytechnic Institute” located on its territory. This is confirmed by the biography of Yevgenia Makhnutina, head of the 1st department of the management group of the motor boat production department.
McNUTTIN is a recruiter who settled in Arabuz in 2022/11. It is looking for suitable personnel for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as other residents of special economic zones in general. Previously, Makhnutin visited Russia, talked to university students about the benefits of employment and urged them to move to Yelabuga, where life will be better and more pleasant.
At that time, students were tempted by jobs in Western companies that had production facilities on the territory of the SEZ, and recognition from the Financial Times.
Indirect arguments show that Makhnutin is also connected with the recruitment of students to vocational and technical schools. In this connection, there is a story that happened at the school at the end of 2023 3. One of the students allegedly committed suicide in the dormitory. “Possibly”, because over the past year, the Russian investigation did not come to a final conclusion, although one of the proceedings was opened under the article about “inducing suicide”. Relatives of the deceased began to tell in the press about the conditions of life and education in Yelabuz, which cannot be said to have been oriented towards the comprehensive development of youth.
It was Yevgeny Makhnutin who came to defend the honor of the school under this post. From his comment, it is clear that he has serious knowledge about “events for applicants” during admission to higher education.
This was argued with reason in the investigations of other publications. During the review of the “Cyber Resistance” document about the “motorboat project managers”, attention was drawn to the person of Viktor Plugatiryov, who was born on November 10, 2006. If the date is correct, then Plugatyriv should now be under 18 years old. This does not prevent him from holding the position of “specialist of the support department for the production of motor boats”.
During the preparation of this text, it was not possible to obtain documents that conclusively testify to Plugatyryov’s studies at Alabuga Polytechnic. But there was definitely a channel in the Telegram network with a description like the one in the image below:
Cyber Resistance activists handed over the complete list of employees of the “motor boat project” to the volunteers of the “Peacemaker” project.
The second document from the massif, which testifies to the development of drones in Yelabuz according to the Iranian model, is a letter with a demand for a number of employees to provide reports on business trips for the year 2023.
At least some of the representatives of this list went on a business trip to Tehran. What they were doing in the capital of Iran is allegedly unknown. However, it can be stated with certainty that people with knowledge of languages, mechanical engineering, drones and specialists in the military field were chosen for business trips.
It seems that this is how they found Aleksandr Datsyuk, whose resume can easily be found on the Internet. Who knows, maybe he was invited to work with this resume. Datsyuk is one of the few representatives of the older age group among the project participants, a connoisseur of the Persian language and a former UN peacekeeper.
In contrast to Muscovite Datsyuk, Dagestan-born Roman Avarskyi is a representative of the younger generation, but a graduate of Moscow State University (MGIMO) and, it seems, also knows Farsi. This is evidenced by his comments on the Vkontakte network, where he writes under the pseudonym “Roman Verum”.
References to Avarskyi can also be found on the websites of the Federal Rice Research Center (Krasnodar) and the Institute of Additional Professional Education (Stavropol). Both centers are working on the introduction of agricultural drones.
The complete list of visitors to Iran is also on our infographic.
This is the first part of our investigation into the activities of Albatros LLC. However, it is already clear from the above facts that the company is actively involved in the “motor boats” project. Probably, the Russian authorities chose this team as the base for the implementation of Iranian technological processes.
Currently, only two Alabuga offices are under US sanctions – “Albatross” and “Delfin Alabuga”. JSC OEZ PVT “Alabuga”, “Alabuga Development”, “Alabuga Exim” and “Alabuga Machinery” are still not under sanctions.
At the same time, the content of the received documents leads to an unpleasant conclusion. Russia is rapidly setting up its own production of attack UAVs. Iranian Shahed-136 UAVs have long become a headache for the Defense Forces of Ukraine and civilians. However, these were Iranian deliveries, which Russia had to wait for quite a long time.
Now Alabuz is building workshops for the production of its own internal combustion engines and the production of electronic components. This shows that within a few months, Russia will be able to independently produce kamikaze drones on a turnkey basis. No “parallel import”, no purchase of engines and chips abroad.
Unfortunately, the figure of 10,000 drones per year drawn in the project documentation is no longer considered fantastic. If the Russians completely close the production cycle at Alabuz, then Russia will be able to carry out large-scale air raids every day.
Just as the Allies destroyed Nazi factories with carpet bombing during the Second World War, so Ukraine has the right to strike military facilities such as Alabuga. However, in order to prevent Russia from creating thousands and thousands of new “martyrs”, Ukraine needs the support of the West. We need weapons, air defense equipment, planes, drones and long-range missiles. Because otherwise, the Russian Federation will be able to increase and scale production, and sooner or later swarms of Russian shaheeds will already fly through the European cities of NATO member countries.
Read the continuation of this article in the second part.
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