The Iranians want to start the production of refrigerators in the Russian Alabuz, where the Shaheds are assembled

The Iranian company Entekhab Group, which produces household appliances, is negotiating to buy the refrigerator factory of the large Chinese brand Midea in the city of Alabuga in the Russian region of Tatarstan, Kommersant writes, citing a source familiar with the negotiations.

The plant in Alabuz can produce 350,000 units of equipment per year. According to the publication’s sources, in 2024, Midea exited the capital of the Russian factory this year, as it began the construction of a new enterprise in Belarus.

In the special economic zone “Alabuga” the mass production of Iranian attack drones “Shakhed”, which Russia uses in the war against Ukraine, is now underway. Students were involved in assembling the drones. In April 2024, Alabuga was hit by Ukrainian drones, the student dormitory building, located next to the drone production workshop, was damaged.

After the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian military in Ukraine, many large foreign companies, including manufacturers of household appliances and electronics, announced the suspension of supplies to the Russian market, the sale of assets in the Russian Federation, or the reduction of operations in Russia. Some foreign products are supplied to the Russian Federation through other countries under the so-called “parallel import”, which affects both their availability and price.