Russia produces over 5,000 Shaheds per month, marking fivefold increase – DIU. INFOGRAPHICS
Russia is now producing over 5,000 long-range drones per month, including 2,700 genuine Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones and the rest being decoy drones. This is five times more than in August 2024.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing a response from the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense to a request from Forbes Ukraine.
As of late May 2025, Russia’s production rate for Shahed drones is approximately 2,700 units per month. The production rate for imitation strike UAVs, such as the "Herbera"-type decoys, stands at around 2,500 units.
The updated estimate indicates a fivefold increase in Shahed production compared to the summer of 2024.
In August last year, Ukrainian intelligence estimated Russia’s Shahed production rate at 500 drones per month. By December 2024, Defense Express suggested that output may have risen to as many as 2,000 UAVs per month.
Typically, Herbera-type decoy drones are made from cheap materials, carry no warhead or only a small charge, and are primarily used to overload Ukrainian air defenses and for reconnaissance purposes.
The Pace of Russia's Drone Terror and the Evolution of the Shahed drones
Between January and May 2025, Russia launched nearly 13,000 Shaheds and their decoys against Ukraine, according to Forbes Ukraine estimates.
The attack rate followed a cyclical pattern: one month saw around 2,500 drones, the next two months about 4,000, then another month dropped back to 2,500 units, followed by a month with 4,000.
