Russia operates at least 13 launch sites for Shahed drones and has built fortified underground storage facilities for them, making them difficult to destroy. That’s according to Ivan Kyrychevskyi, a military expert with Defence Express, who spoke on air with Espreso TV.“There are too many drone launch sites – at least 13 by now, and likely more as part of a broader system of fortified positions storing Shaheds. Open-source data earlier this year confirmed that Western Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles had hit one such underground facility. Russians are not lazy about digging fortifications for drone storage, let alone for troops,” the expert noted.Kyrychevskyi emphasized the need for Ukraine to accumulate a stockpile of long-range missiles capable of striking Russia’s production infrastructure.“There are good initiatives, including from Germany, to help Ukraine develop long-range missile production. But you can’t build such missiles overnight. The only real option is to stockpile enough of them and start targeting production sites – like the one in Yelabuga.”According to him, the drone facility in Yelabuga (Tatarstan, Russia) is a vast site resembling a forced labor camp:“It’s either a massive assembly plant, a Nazi-style concentration camp, or a Chinese-style one like those for Uyghurs – packed with workers assembling and gluing together drone parts shipped from China and other sources. Ukraine needs enough missiles to begin systematically striking such facilities. It’s hard to hit launch pads, but Yelabuga might be even harder. Still, logic dictates that we must focus on those production sites.”Earlier reports indicated that in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, Russia, a drone factory was attacked. In 2024 alone, it had produced over 6,000 Shaheds and Geran drones. Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed a strike on the facility.