The Shahed attack drones that russia launches against Ukraine almost every night are reportedly assembled by African women, primarily from Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. These women are recruited under false pretenses.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, recruiters promise professional training in russia and decent wages, without revealing the true nature of the work they are being hired to perform.
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"Ukraine has never experienced such a sustained and massive wave of combined missile and drone attacks as in recent months. Every night, hundreds of drones rain down on Ukrainian cities with the aim of killing, causing destruction, overwhelming air defenses, and terrorizing civilians. This russian tactic, based on the mass use of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drone, is spreading rapidly," the article states.
The report underscores that russia can maintain these relentless strikes because it has significantly expanded its domestic drone production capacity. "Initially imported from Iran, this loitering munition now has little to do with Iran, as it is currently being produced in the russian federation," the article adds.
According to Le Monde, African women are being recruited through russian embassies across the continent as well as via the "Alabuga Start" website, which invites applicants to join an "international vocational training program" implemented with the support of Rossotrudnichestvo, a russian government agency.
The stated requirements for applicants include being between 18 and 22 years old, having a secondary education, holding a valid passport, and knowing 100 russian words. Salaries are advertised between €426 and €681 per month: well above the average income in many African countries. However, job postings do not mention drone assembly, and in many cases, the women receive less than promised.
Le Monde quoted Timur Shagivaleev, director of the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, who said that "women are easier to manage, and some tasks require feminine precision." He also noted that African workers are hired partly because russian citizens "are not willing to work for 30,000 to 40,000 rubles."
Earlier, the Associated Press reported on this issue after reviewing internal Alabuga SEZ documents and speaking with several women working at the plant. Some of them learned only after arriving in Tatarstan that they would be assembling drones used by the russian military to attack Ukraine.
The African workers interviewed by AP described exhausting 12-hour shifts, constant surveillance, broken promises about job training and pay, and exposure to chemicals that caused itchy, discolored patches on their skin.
One woman said the cost of airfare, housing, medical care, and russian language lessons was deducted from their wages. Additionally, sanctions on russian banks made it difficult to send money back home. "We are in slavery," she said. "They treat us like donkeys."
A document obtained by AP from the Alabuga SEZ referred to the African women using a derogatory term. The documents also revealed that most foreign workers are tasked with assembling drone airframes and painting them.
According to Alabuga Start’s official Telegram channel, 182 African women arrived in russia under the program during the first half of 2024.
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