How African Women Are Duped into Working in Russian Drone Factories

It has now emerged that a number of women from African countries have duped into working for Russian drone factories especially in the frontlines amid the ongoing war against Ukraine.

According to a report recruitment primarily targets women young as aged 16 to 22 from countries like South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, as well as Sri Lanka. 

So far at least 200 women from all these countries have fallen victims of this scheme.

They are lured with the promise of getting well-paying jobs and in other instances a chance to join Russia’s tertiary education institutions, but that is never the case.

They are mainly recruited by an organization called Alabuga Start, which often makes advertisements for these “opportunities” on social media.

“One of the women who spoke to AP said she regrets the decision to go to Russia in search of better opportunities.

“I regret coming here… the factory only produces drones,” she said.

The Report by Associate Press reads in part, “Nearly 200 African women at the site, aged 18-22, are manufacturing Iranian-design drones to use in Ukraine.”

Government officials in some the named countries have been seen to promote this project alongside the help of influencers. Uganda is one such country.

Most Russian embassies in the continent are a part of this scheme.

These women only get to know of their actual jobs when they arrive in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (EPZ) where they are forced to work as drone manufacturing staff.

Such recruitment is part of the scheme by Russia to fill the labour gap it is currently experiencing, according to experts.

The reports adds that workers at Alabuga Start come from at least 30 countries, with the majority from Africa.

“Some 182 women entered the programme in early 2024, many from Africa. This included Uganda (46), Kenya (14), Nigeria (14), South Sudan (14), Rwanda (14), and Sri Lanka (10). There were also joiners from Zambia (4), Ethiopia (6), Ghana (2), Malawi (2), Mozambique (1), South Africa (6), Tanzania (4), and Zimbabwe (4).”

At the time of publication, Kenyan authorities had not responded to our request for a comment on the matter.

All this come in the wake of the Government of Russia offering thousands of fully funded scholarships to Kenyan students who would like to study in the country.

The last such call, which was a few weeks ago saw at 4,816 scholarships for African students.

The number of recruits into the Alabuga facilities is expected to grow with total number set at at least 2,000 persons according to Associated Press.

Even as this goes on, several safety concerns over the lives of these women have been raised including their protection in case of Ukraine’s retaliatory attacks.

The conditions of working are also harsh and they maybe be exposed to serious health issues in the end.

Human trafficking played a huge role in getting them to these camps and forms part of the biggest concerns by the international community.

They experience physical and psychological violence, suffer racism and sexism, SEZ officials use racial terminology to separate out African women, and they work far longer hours than advertised, usually between 12 – 24 hours shifts.

The women are also not allowed to leave the SEZ and are paid less than they were promised.

This was confirmed by some of the women who spoke to AP.