Russia's Sole Fiberglass Manufacturer Has Been Down for Almost a Year After Ukrainian Drone Attack
Russia's only optical fiber manufacturing plant stopped working in May 2025 after a series of strikes by Ukrainian drones and has not resumed production since. This was reported to the "Vedomosti" publication by Leonid Konik, CEO of ComNews Group, writes The Moscow Times.
"Optic Fiber Systems" in Saransk. Photo from social networks
The "Optic Fiber Systems" enterprise in Saransk, Russia, had a capacity of about 4 million kilometers of fiber per year. From this raw material, about twenty Russian cable factories produced optical cables. Now they are completely dependent on supplies from China.
According to industry representatives, since 2026, Chinese suppliers have significantly increased prices for Russian buyers — by 2.5-4 times. If at the beginning of 2025, one kilometer of G.652D standard fiber cost 16 yuan (about 2.2 dollars) in China, by the end of the year it was 25 (about 3.6 dollars), and in January of this year already 40 yuan (about 5.85 dollars). The price increase is explained by a sharp increase in demand.
Optical fiber is actively used not only in telecommunications but also for military purposes. Russia and Ukraine have started using fiber-optic cables to control drones at distances up to 50 kilometers, making them less vulnerable to electronic warfare.
Analysts note that in 2025, Russia consumed about 10.5% of the world's optical fiber production, although its share previously did not exceed 1%. In absolute terms, this is almost 60 million kilometers of fiber per year. Simultaneously, there is a global market deficit of this product due to the development of infrastructure for artificial intelligence.
Experts emphasize that the problem lies not only in high prices but also in the physical availability of the required volumes. Suppliers are already demanding 100% prepayment. As a result, Russian cable factories will be forced to increase prices for finished products, which, in turn, will lead to higher costs for the construction of main communication networks and services for renting fiber-optic lines.
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