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Russia’s Drone War Built on Lies: Young Women Lured From Africa to Alabuga Factory

Russia’s Drone War Built on Lies: Young Women Lured From Africa to Alabuga Factory

A Russian Shahed factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan has been recruiting young women from dozens of low-income countries with promises of high salaries, education, and career opportunities—without disclosing that many would end up assembling drones later used in strikes on Ukraine.

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer

In South Africa, recruiters leveraged BRICS-affiliated organizations to lure candidates, according to a Bloomberg report on August 22.

South African authorities have now launched an investigation into the activities of Russian companies and their recruitment practices. A government official told Bloomberg that Russian diplomats could be summoned for clarification.

“The government of South Africa is actively investigating reports of foreign programs that recruit South Africans under false pretenses,” the country’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.

“The government has not yet found conclusive evidence that job offers in Russia differ from the stated purpose. However, attention has been drawn to the alleged recruitment of young people by the company Alabuga.”

According to Bloomberg, in May, the South African chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance signed an agreement to find 5,600 workers for Alabuga and construction company Etalonstroy Ural by next year.

Earlier in January, the BRICS Students Commission, also based in South Africa, posted job ads targeting women aged 18–22 for positions in construction and hospitality in Alabuga. The campaign was further amplified by South African influencers on Instagram and TikTok.

Russia’s aggressive recruitment push comes amid a severe labor shortage caused by demographic decline, the mobilization of large numbers of men for the war (with about a million reported dead or wounded), restrictions on migrant workers from Central Asia, and the exodus of war opponents and critics of Vladimir Putin’s regime. In South Africa, by contrast, roughly one-third of the working-age population is unemployed.

The Alabuga Start program markets itself as an “international program for ambitious young women aged 16 to 22, offering a chance to move to Russia and build a successful career.”

But according to the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, over 90% of the participants were instead funneled into drone assembly lines with the goal of producing 6,000 Shahed-type drones annually.

“They are making weapons and ending up on the front line because now they are part of the war,” said Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow at the institute.

The same institute’s report noted that housing is under construction for roughly 41,000 workers in Alabuga—evidence of plans to further expand drone production.

The site is already manufacturing the sixth modification of the Iranian-designed Shahed drones since Russia began importing and building them there.

In 2024, the Associated Press interviewed six young African women who said they were tricked into working at the drone plant. They had been promised free flights to Russia and well-paid internships in hospitality and catering.

Instead, upon arrival in Tatarstan, they were assigned to the Shahed drone assembly line, forced to work under grueling conditions for lower pay, and exposed to toxic materials without protective gear.

The Wall Street Journal reached similar findings in its own investigation.

This year, Interpol opened a probe in Botswana into whether the Alabuga Start program amounts to human trafficking.

In Argentina, a lawsuit was filed on similar grounds against two former reality TV contestants who appeared in a promotional video for Alabuga Start.

Earlier, reports emerged that the Alabuga Special Economic Zone near Russia’s Alabuga has added four new industrial plots covering roughly 163 hectares and is preparing a fifth 30-hectare expansion.

Within these new zones, dozens of uniform small buildings—accompanied by kitchens, workshops, and access roads—have appeared, consistent with dormitories built to house personnel drawn from outside the local region.

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