Russian state media on Sunday profiled a bakery 400 kilometers south of Moscow that doubles as a drone-manufacturing plant.
The Russian government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta first reported on the Tambov Bakery’s drone production in March this year.
The publication said at the time the bakery started assembling unmanned aerial vehicles, dubbed “Bekas,” on an urgent request from soldiers to whom it had supplied bread.
“Last year, the military asked to send drones — the more the better,” said Tambov Bakery’s deputy director Alexander Rudik, a former communications officer and a reserve lieutenant colonel.
On Sunday, a correspondent with the state broadcaster Rossia showed the drones side-by-side with freshly baked bread on an assembly line.
“Can you imagine? They smell like fresh bread,” he said.
The Tambov Bakery boasts the capacity to bake 35 metric tons of flour-based goods.
At the same time, it is reported to produce 200 drones a month which sell for 25,000-50,000 rubles ($250-500) a piece.
Russia has sought in recent months to ramp up its domestic production of drones to use in its war on Ukraine, which is entering its 20th month.
This summer, activists in central Russia reported that a sanctioned drone manufacturer had converted at least three shopping malls into drone production facilities.
