Breaking: 1. South Sudanese recruit reports unsafe working conditions at drone factory. 2. Kenyan Foreign Ministry reports announces rescue and repatriation of 18 Kenyans deceptively recruited to fight for Russia.

Alabuga Start: The program trafficking African women to build suicide drones in Russia

Dozens of African women are working in Russian factories to build Shahed-136 drones which kill Ukrainian civilians, including women and children. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has turned to young African women to fill manpower shortages in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.

These women face several dangers: human trafficking, exposure to dangerous substances, drone attacks
(see video of attack at the end of this page).

How did they end up there?

To avoid any further exploitation and humiliation of the women in the Alabuga Start program, some images on the website are AI generated and illustrative only.
You will see the 'AI' watermark in the corner of the image.

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Alabuga SEZ is currently undergoing significant expansion, looking to produce thousands more military drones to fuel its illegal war in Ukraine. Satellite imagery of the site shows plans to build new residential buildings for workers, summer work camps for children and a tent city linked to the camps.

Coercion and Deception

The Alabuga START program misleads young women, men and their families
Instead, women in Alabuga report being "trapped" and unable to leave, receiving lower than promised pay, and being forced to manufacture weapons in unsafe conditions.
Interpol in Botswana is currently investigating Alabuga Start for possible involvement in human trafficking after the organisation was made aware of social media posts made by Alabuga Start recruiters.
Young African men are also reportedly being targeted by Alabuga START. Family and friends of victims have detailed deceptive recruitment techniques, entrapment and how some victims have ended up fighting for Russia on the frontline in Ukraine where they are used “in human wave attacks” and treated as “cannon fodder”.

Read more about the organizations deceiving young women to come to Russia…

Read

Alabuga Start’s Key Recruiter and Facilitator Network in Africa

Racism and Abuse

Alabuga START only recruits women from the Global South aged between 18 to 22. These women have experienced high levels of racism, with Russian supervisors calling them “mulattoes” and other derogatory terms. One participant told AP that participants are “maltreated like donkeys”.

Interviews conducted by Eris Network with women in Alabuga indicate that some women who have been removed from the program have turned to prostitution to support themselves.

Judging from the experiences of African men in Russia, African women are also likely to experience racist abuse. Francois Njelassi from Gabon, for example, was stabbed to death for being black. Minding his own business with friends at a Burger King in the city of Yekaterinburg, two young Russian men hurled racist abuse at him before stabbing him to death. The police stood by and watch for most of the attack. One of the attackers is said to have links to white supremacist groups.

Human Trafficking

Nearly 200 women from several African and Asian countries are present working at Alabuga START. They cannot leave the Special Economic Zone, let alone return to their home countries. They are subject to curfews and forbidden from talking about their involvement in manufacturing drones – and those that do face threats and fines.
They receive low pay, and sometimes no pay at all. They are promised education and economic opportunities, but face exploitation in harsh conditions.

According to the UN, human trafficking is “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit”.

Working in a Warzone

Alabuga is part of Russia’s war economy. It is producing weapons which are killing women and children in Ukraine. In April 2024, a factory in Alabuga was attacked by a drone. The women – who are not warned about the risks – are exposed to serious dangers working in this environment. In addition to drone attacks, women work with chemicals without being provided protective gear resulting in skin conditions and constant itching.

Attack on dormitories of workers at the Alabuga drone manufacturing plant,
April 2024

We are an independent network of female investigative researchers, journalists and activists. Our investigations and activism focus on the harmful and exploitative practices of individuals, organizations and states – especially those that affect women. Our contributors come from all over the world, but remain anonymous due to the type of work they undertake.