A Russian firm has frozen construction of a laptop factory in Yekaterinburg. It will make drone simulators for schoolchildren instead.
LIGA Group has frozen plans to build a laptop factory in Yekaterinburg, according to General Director Alexey Lezhnin, who spoke to the Russian business outlet RBC. The plant had been scheduled to open at the Kosmos industrial park in 2027.
Lezhnin said the project was halted in part because Karat, the park’s main microchip plant, has yet to begin operating. He also cited unfavorable economic conditions in Russia:
We can see that [domestic laptop] manufacturers aren’t doing very well in the current economic situation. Right now, all such infrastructure projects have largely been suspended.
With the factory project on hold, LIGA Group — an electronics manufacturer and software developer — will instead build drone-piloting simulators. The plan is to install them in Russian schools.
Lezhnin put the investment in the new project at “tens of millions of rubles” and said the company could recoup that investment within two to three years. LIGA Group has promised to release the first version of the software product by the end of this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed introducing drone-piloting courses in schools as far back as April 2023. In mid-2026, Russia’s Education Ministry drew up a draft order splitting the subject “Fundamentals of Safety and Defense of the Homeland” into two mandatory courses: “Life Safety” and “Basic Military Training.” The draft order is due to take effect on September 1. The curriculum will include training in drone operation.
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