Category
Latest news

Russia Lures Young Foreign Workers to Build Shahed Drones for War on Ukraine

2 min read
Authors
Russia Lures Young Foreign Workers to Build Shahed Drones for War on Ukraine
Iranian-made Shahed-136. (Source: moderndiplomacy)

Russia is deceitfully recruiting foreign workers for the production of Shahed-136 attack drones at a factory in Tatarstan, a republic of Russia. This was reported by Militarnyi, citing an investigative report by Baku TV.

The scheme targets citizens of post-Soviet countries, particularly Azerbaijan, who are reportedly lured through online advertising into employment under the ‘Alabuga Start’ program in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.

“Foreign workers are promised jobs in high-tech manufacturing in the Republic of Tatarstan, with attractive salaries of around $1,000 per month and opportunities for career growth,” Militarnyi wrote.

However, after signing the contract, they discover that the job is drastically different from what was initially advertised.

“A flashy, enticing website, promises of career growth, and interesting work—everything seems great. But people, hoping for a promising income, take the job, move to this zone, and ultimately end up doing something completely different from what was advertised,” the report notes.

According to Azerbaijani journalists, Russia is specifically recruiting young people under the age of 22.

“Only after arriving at the job site do they realize that they will be assembling Shahed-136 suicide drones, rebranded by Russia as ‘Geran-2’, which are used in attacks against Ukraine,” Militarnyi stated.

On January 24, an investigation revealed that nine European companies from Czechia, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland have continued to supply sanctioned industrial equipment to Russia despite ongoing sanctions.

See all