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Russia Taps North Korea and Underage Students to Fix Military Labor Shortage
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia has launched a large-scale recruitment campaign targeting teenagers as young as 14 to work at the “Alabuga” Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, where Iranian-designed Shahed-136 attack drones are manufactured.
According to promotional materials released by the Alabuga Polytech college on February 28, the facility is actively seeking to fill labor shortages by offering high salaries to underage students.
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The recruitment drive, highlighted in a series of promotional videos by Alabuga Polytech, promises significant financial incentives for teenagers entering the military production workforce.
According to the college’s advertisements, starting salaries for 14-year-olds are set at 100,000 rubles ($1,070), rising to 150,000 rubles ($1,600) in the second year, and reaching up to 350,000 rubles ($3,740) by the third year of employment.
For 3 years, Russia tried to mask the real function of its "Alabuga Start" program with slick social media advertising, luring 18-22 year old women from impoverished nations with offers of gainful employment in "technology", but hiding that they would really be building Shahed… https://t.co/K8CJlDS40h pic.twitter.com/TPiixAaCLI
— SPRAVDI — Stratcom Centre (@StratcomCentre) February 27, 2026
To facilitate this process, authorities in Tatarstan have established a regional program specifically designed to streamline the employment of youth and adolescents starting from age 14. This shift toward underage labor comes as Russia seeks to scale up its domestic production of “Geran” (Shahed) loitering munitions amid ongoing frontline demands.
Beyond domestic recruitment, Russia is looking toward foreign labor markets to sustain its defense industrial base. Reports indicate a broad campaign to attract workers from economically disadvantaged regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
However, the most significant influx of foreign labor is expected to come from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). According to Ukrainian intelligence data cited on February 28:
Russia plans to integrate up to 12,000 North Korean workers into the Alabuga production lines;
Logistical details were reportedly finalized in late October 2025 during meetings between Russian officials and the Jihyang Technology Trade Company, a North Korean entity responsible for labor exports;
North Korean personnel are expected to work minimum 12-hour shifts with an estimated hourly wage of $2.50.
The Alabuga facility has become a central hub for Russia’s drone program. Leaked documents previously analyzed by technical experts—and corroborated by recent visual evidence from Alabuga Polytech—confirm the site’s involvement in the full-cycle assembly of Shahed-136 airframes, including the application of epoxy resins and stabilizers.
Earlier in October 2025, Bloomberg reported that Russia’s Alabuga Start program recruited young women from Brazil through influencer promotions, presenting it as a paid internship but later linking it to the assembly of Shahed-136 drones used in the war against Ukraine.
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