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“Stalin Lives in Your DNA”: Russian Teens Forced to Build Drones at Shahed Factory
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia’s Defense Ministry–run TV channel has aired a report from a drone factory in Tatarstan where teenagers—including ninth-grade students—are shown helping mass-produce Shahed-type attack drones used against Ukraine, sparking fresh outrage over the militarization of minors and alleged forced labor at a facility under international sanctions.
Russian news media outlet Important Stories pointed to footage of schoolchildren and college students assembling Shahed-136 drones—known in Russia as Geran—at a sprawling drone manufacturing facility in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, from footage released by Russia’s Defense Ministry–owned TV channel Zvezda on July 20.
The segment of the footage depicts an industrial-scale drone production line staffed largely by youth, including ninth graders and students from Alabuga Polytechnic College.
As Russia builds more and more drones, you can help defend Ukraine’s skies by donating to @U24_gov_ua at the link below. pic.twitter.com/WqFQetCGDz
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) July 21, 2025
According to the program’s host, these students are both studying and working in the facility responsible for producing the drones used in Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine.
“Hundreds of machines, thousands of workers, and wherever you look—it’s all youth. Boys and girls work here, and study at the same college created by the same people who organized the Geran production. They recruit schoolchildren here after ninth grade, and after college, invite them to join the factory,” the presenter stated.
One particularly striking image shown in the footage is a large banner inside the factory reading: “Kurchatov , Korolev , and Stalin live in your DNA.”
The slogan—which references the Soviet-era physicist, rocket designer, and dictator—was also used by Alabuga officials in 2023 when the site came under EU sanctions. At the time, the zone’s press office promised a “tough response” to the sanctions, repeating the now-notorious DNA phrase.
This is not the first time Alabuga has come under scrutiny for its use of underage labor in defense manufacturing.
In 2023, investigative projects Protocol and RZVRT revealed that students were being pressured into assembling Shahed drones under harsh conditions.
Journalists reported that young workers were forced to work around the clock—often without proper rest or food—and those who refused were threatened with expulsion from their college.
Punishments extended beyond academics. Students who refused or failed to meet expectations were reportedly forced to play paintball matches where the losing team was shot at point-blank range with paintballs, forced to dig trenches in the rain, or conduct mock military assaults without proper gear—all while being fired upon by staff.
Legally, these students appeared to have little recourse. Their contracts reportedly required their parents to reimburse the college for training expenses if they were expelled—effectively binding them to the facility.
Additionally, reports alleged that Alabuga recruited underage female students from African countries to work as janitors in its defense plants.
Russian authorities in Tatarstan have previously attempted to legalize the use of minors in such labor. Officials proposed a “youth employment assistance program” for students as young as 14 and drafted amendments to the Russian Labor Code to allow teenagers aged 16 and up to work in hazardous conditions—a change strongly pushed by Alabuga leadership.
Earlier, Germany’s Ministry of Defense had raised concerns over Russia’s growing capability to conduct large-scale drone strikes against Ukraine, potentially involving up to 2,000 unmanned aerial vehicles in a single coordinated attack.
