The Trend.

While browsing Russian media I stumbled on that. First in April 2023. 

Новый собственник ТЦ «Италмас» в Ижевске планирует открыть на данном объекте научный центр. Об этом заявил глава города Олег Бекмеметьев в прямом эфире ЦУР.

Translation: The new owner of the Italmas shopping center in Izhevsk plans to open a scientific center at this facility. This was stated by the mayor of the city Oleg Bekmemetyev live on the SDG broadcast.

OK, great. Russia is infested with shopping malls which are known in Russia as Trade-Entertainment Centers. But now this, Izhevsk again:

ТРК «Столица» в Ижевске закроют и перепрофилируют под научно-производственный центр. Об этом ВКонтакте сообщил министр промышленности и торговли Удмуртии Виктор Лашкарев. 

Translation: The Stolitsa shopping mall in Izhevsk will be closed and repurposed as a research and production center. Viktor Lashkarev, Minister of Industry and Trade of Udmurtia, announced this on VKontakte.

One may ask what is going on here. I have the answer--Izhevsk is over supplied 3.5 times over with shopping malls. In fact, Russia, as I already pointed out above, is covered in shopping malls--they are everywhere. But times change, and oversupply of retail is being substituted with in high demand manufacturing and R&D facilities. 

Well, Izhevsk is an industrial monster and the home to such corporations like Kalashnikov Concern, not to mention a bunch of other critical industrial plant you can see in the list of Izhevsk manufacturing companies (in Russian). Izhevsk is just one such example and but also a trend-setter. How many shopping malls does one need? One needs, which is crucial, local groceries stores, local home depots, local universal stores akin to Walmart, no matter how many will say they don't like Walmart's business model, but Russians love their Auchans. Yes, you also need shopping malls, but not when they exceed required demand by more than three times. And this IS the trend--real science, real research, real manufacturing are returning to Russia big time. 

No, it is not only military, albeit one should remember the lightning speed with which Zala Aero Group ramped up production of Lancet loitering munitions by converting, and you guessed it, some shopping and storage center in some undisclosed location. Guess what? Zala is from Izhevsk.  And Putin spoke about weapons based on new physical principles at the Far Eastern Economic Forum. Hm. Something is up, wink, wink.