Russia Lured African Women to Assemble Attack Drones with False Job Promises, Investigation Finds

Russia has been accused of deceiving young African women into assembling Shahed-136 kamikaze drones through false promises of hospitality work, according to investigative reports. The women, aged 18 to 22, were recruited to work at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan—a facility repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian air strikes—where they discovered they would be building weapons for Russia’s war effort rather than working in hotels or restaurants as promised.

The revelations triggered a South African government investigation in August 2025 after social media influencers promoted the Alabuga Start Programme to millions of followers. Several influencers later apologized and had their accounts banned after the scheme’s true nature was exposed.

Drone Factory Disguised as Career Opportunity

The Alabuga facility, located approximately 600 miles (966 kilometers) east of Moscow, has emerged as Russia’s primary production site for Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones.

“These women are being used as pawns in Putin’s war game,” Spencer Faragasso, senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), told France24. “They are facing risks to their lives because at the end of the day, this is a legitimate military target, and they’re getting involved in an active war.”

The recruitment program targeted countries with high youth unemployment, particularly South Africa where unemployment among young women reaches 57 percent. Representatives visited schools in Johannesburg, offering free flights, Alabuga-branded merchandise, and promises of hospitality careers. The program’s website mentions training in hospitality and construction with no reference to weapons manufacturing.

Reality Check: Assembling Weapons Under Fire

“When they get to Alabuga, it’s a rude awakening for the majority of them,” Faragasso explained. “And we’ve estimated that at least 90 percent of these women are assigned to work in the Shahed-136 drone factory.”

ISIS research has tracked at least three Ukrainian air strikes on the facility since April 2024, including one that hit a dormitory housing recruited women.

The facility’s expansion tells the story of Russia’s escalating drone production. Using satellite imagery, ISIS documented construction of 200 new apartment buildings in 2025 capable of housing more than 41,000 workers—nearly doubling the zone’s population. Russia launched over 180 Shahed-type drones per day in September, driving the need for this massive workforce increase.

Influencer Scandal Sparks Investigation

Several South African influencers traveled to Alabuga and created promotional videos for their millions of followers.

Cyan Boujee, who posted content to her 1.7 million TikTok followers, later issued a public apology. “I’ve been quiet because I’ve been waiting for the programme to release a statement on my behalf,” she said. “Human trafficking is a very, very serious matter. And I don’t stand for that.”

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed to France24 that the Alabuga Start Programme’s presence in South Africa is under investigation. Deputy Director-General Clayson Monyela stated that authorities are examining the recruitment practices amid allegations of human trafficking and false employment promises.

Red Flags Missed in Recruitment Push

A South African recruitment expert identified multiple warning signs that should have raised alarms.

“Be cautious of any job offer that seems too good to be true,” said Trinisha Screeramalu, executive recruiter at Empire Recruitment. “Major red flags include no verifiable company presence, vague or lack of contracts, upfront payments and pressure to act urgently. Legitimate employers never rush candidates.”

The Russian Embassy in Pretoria released a statement in August denying the allegations, claiming it has:

“no information, apart from that spread through some biased outlets, of foreign nationals being subjected to forced labour, tricked into some actions, or otherwise experiencing violation of their rights in the course of the programme.”

Massive Drone Production Expansion

Alabuga’s directors are no longer hiding their operations. Director general Timur Shagivaleev appeared on Russian TV in July to tour a drone factory, with thousands of Shahed-136 drones visible in the footage. According to ISIS reports, the facility now produces over 6,000 drones monthly, with projections suggesting it may seek to export drones to North Korea, Iran, or other countries willing to ignore Russian sanctions.

DroneXL’s Take

We first covered the Alabuga recruitment scandal back in October 2024 when the story initially broke. What’s changed since then is staggering: the facility has scaled production from roughly 4,500 drones annually to over 6,000 per month—a more than tenfold increase. This isn’t just about labor exploitation, though that’s horrific enough. This represents Russia’s long-term commitment to drone warfare against Ukraine, with these women caught in the crossfire both literally and figuratively.

The influencer angle adds a disturbing modern twist to an old exploitation playbook. Social media gave this recruitment scheme unprecedented reach, turning young creators into unwitting accomplices. The swift banning of these accounts shows platforms are taking accountability seriously, but the damage was done—an unknown number of young women may have already traveled to Russia based on those promotional videos.

What troubles us most is ISIS’s finding that Alabuga is building housing for 41,000 workers. That’s not a temporary wartime measure—that’s infrastructure for sustained industrial-scale drone production. Combined with recent reports of jet-powered Shahed variants and remote control capabilities, Russia is clearly planning to make this facility a long-term hub for exporting drone technology to authoritarian regimes.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.