Russia significantly increases production of long-range drones: Intelligence reveals figures

Russia is manufacturing over 5,000 long-range drones every month, half of which are real Shahed drones, while the rest are decoys.

This information was provided by the press service of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence in response to a request from Forbes Ukraine.

As of late May 2025, the production rate of Shahed-136 / Geranium-2 drones is approximately 2,700 units per month. The production of decoy UAVs, such as those of the Gerbera type, stands at around 2,500 units monthly.

For reference, back in January 2025, Russian forces launched 2,611 Shaheds and decoys. By May 27, that number had already reached 3,828 UAVs.

It’s worth noting that Russia began deploying decoy drones alongside real ones in the fall of 2024. Gerbera-type UAVs are made from cheap materials, lack a warhead, or carry only a small explosive charge.