Will Russia's "Gerani" Missiles Start Exploding During Takeoff?
- 28.06.2026, 17:30
A message has appeared on the "Alabugi" website stating that its internal infrastructure has been hacked.
Unknown individuals hacked the website of the "Alabuga" Special Economic Zone, located in Tatarstan, as evidenced by an archived copy of the official page from June 27, which was discovered by The Insider. A message temporarily appeared on the page on behalf of the underground organization “Black Spark,” which claims to have “infiltrated the UAV production facility”:
“We worked within the system for several months. During that time, we downloaded a database of all employees, their relatives, places of residence, supply chains, and so on.”
According to the unknown individuals, they also left “hundreds of surprises in fresh shipments of ‘geraniums’”; the statement says that these drones will “explode” during launch preparations:
“This is our response to the recruitment of 15-year-old children to assemble killer drones. And in Alabuga, they’re actually proud of this. We already have the lists of everyone involved. After a brief conversation, some agreed to help us gain access to the production facility. Right now, there’s a big commotion in Alabuga; they had to physically shut down their servers, and FSB agents are checking everyone who might be involved in the system breach.”
It is impossible to independently verify this claim. Representatives of the Alabuga Special Economic Zone declined to comment. The website is currently functioning normally.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone is located in the Elabuga District of Tatarstan. Prior to the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, it had been developing as an industrial hub with foreign residents and its own educational project, “Alabuga Polytech.” After some foreign companies left and a labor shortage set in, the SEZ’s management shifted its focus to defense contracts.
Production of Shahed-type attack drones—known in Russia as “Geran-2” and used for attacks on Ukraine—was launched on the territory of “Alabuga.” According to journalists and human rights activists, students from “Alabuga Polytech” were recruited to work on the production line.
Thanks to these defense contracts, the Elabuga District has become Tatarstan’s leader in terms of wages: over the course of a year, the average salary at large and medium-sized enterprises in the district rose by 72% to 217,000 rubles. Due to its drone production, Alabuga has already been targeted by Ukrainian attacks: in April 2024, drones struck a dormitory complex for employees and students involved in UAV production.