A new investigation has revealed that young women from Africa were recruited to work in Russia last year with the promise of professional training, but ended up in drone-manufacturing plants linked to the war in Ukraine.
The BBC report published in late October detailed how women aged 18 to 22 were taken to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, through a scheme called the Alabuga Start (AS) programme.
The programme advertised training in logistics, catering and hospitality, but several women said they were instead assigned to build Shahed-136 drones, which Russian forces have used in Ukraine.
One of the women, 23-year-old Adau from South Sudan, said she applied in 2023 after seeing an advert shared by her country’s Ministry of Higher Education.
“We got our uniforms, not even knowing exactly what we were going to do. From the first day of work we were taken to the drones factory,” she told the BBC.
“I wanted to do more with my life than work in a drone factory.”
She arrived in Russia in March 2024 and began work in July 2024 after three months of Russian language lessons. She said her role involved painting drone casings using strong chemicals.
“When I got home I checked my skin and it was peeling,” she said.
“The chemicals would pass through the overalls.”
According to estimates cited by the BBC, more than 1,000 women from Africa have been recruited to work in Alabuga’s factories since the programme began. Some women from Latin America and South-East Asia have also joined.
On 2 April 2024, just two weeks after Adau’s arrival, the Alabuga SEZ was hit by a Ukrainian drone strike, damaging the student hostel where the recruits stayed.
“The windows on the upper floor of our hostel were shattered,” she said. “I saw a drone in the sky and started running.”
Some women tried to leave after the attack. Several told the BBC that their passports were taken for a period by programme staff, although Alabuga denied holding workers’ passports.
The women were promised monthly pay of $600, but after deductions for accommodation, language classes, transport, Wi-Fi and fines for missing work or classes, some received less than $100.
The Alabuga Start programme denied using deception and said all job fields were listed on its website. It said salaries depend on performance and behaviour. It also said workers were provided with protective clothing.
A second participant interviewed, who asked not to be named, defended the programme:
“No-one is subjected to what they do not want. Most of the girls who end up leaving missed work and didn’t follow the rules.”
The allegations prompted official responses in Africa. In August 2024, the South African government opened an investigation and advised citizens not to sign up for the programme. The government’s warning followed criticism of South African social media influencers who promoted Alabuga Start.
Several women have returned home, often paying for their own flights. Others remain in Russia because they cannot afford return travel or feel trapped due to deductions from their wages.
“It felt horrible having a hand in constructing something that is taking so many lives,” Adau said.
