Russian State Corporations Move Toward “Lights-Out” Manufacturing
The Russian government is pushing major state-owned corporations to shift suitable factories to near-fully automated production, framing robotics as a key driver of productivity and technological sovereignty.
Russia’s largest state corporations are being directed to move toward so-called “lights-out” manufacturing — industrial production that operates with minimal or no human presence. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation has instructed state-owned corporations to develop plans for transitioning facilities where human presence is not required to largely automated operations, according to Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov.
From Robotized Shops to “Dark” Factories
According to Alikhanov, the United Aircraft Corporation, part of the state technology group Rostec, is already completing the first phase of robotization at its plant in Rudnevo. The second phase is scheduled for completion in 2027.
In essence, this is a full transition to “dark” production — a term for factories designed to run without permanent on-site staff.
Operators Instead of Assembly Lines
Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov told Vedomosti that, under instructions from the ministry, the corporation is aiming to automate as much production as possible across its portfolio.
As an example, he pointed to manufacturing at KAMAZ. While not yet fully “lights-out,” the facility is already heavily robotized.
A Broader Push for Industrial Automation
The move toward unmanned production fits into a wider government strategy to accelerate automation across key sectors of the economy. Earlier, Russian authorities noted that as part of a state program focused on the technological transformation of the fuel and energy sector, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation is preparing a large-scale industry order for robotics, the digital news outlet IT-Russia reported.
Taken together, these initiatives signal a clear policy direction: Russia’s industrial strategy increasingly bets on robotics and automation not just to cut costs but to redefine how — and with how many people — its factories operate.
