Dozens of African women who travelled to Russia for supposed professional training have been stranded amid the ongoing war with Ukraine after discovering they had been deceived into working in drone factories.
One of the victims, 23-year-old Adau from South Sudan, told the BBC that she realised she had made a “terrible mistake” on her first day at work in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia.
“We got our uniforms without knowing exactly what we were going to do. From the first day, we were taken to a drone factory. We stepped in and saw drones everywhere and people working,” she recounted.
Adau said she had applied through the Alabuga Start programme — a recruitment scheme that targets young women aged 18 to 22, mostly from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The programme advertised training in logistics, catering, and hospitality but has now come under global scrutiny for allegedly deceiving recruits and exploiting them in dangerous jobs linked to weapons production.
Reports suggest that more than 1,000 young women from Africa have been recruited to work in Alabuga’s weapons factories. In August, the South African government launched an investigation into the programme and warned citizens not to participate.
Adau, who had hoped to train as a tower-crane operator, said she and other recruits were instead assigned to drone production after three months of language lessons. When she tried to resign, she claimed she was forced to continue working for two weeks and suffered chemical burns on her skin despite wearing protective clothing.
“They deducted money for rent, language classes, Wi-Fi, transport, and even for skipping class or setting off fire alarms,” she said, adding that although she was promised $600 (₦900,000) monthly, she received less than $100 after deductions.
Her ordeal worsened when a Ukrainian drone strike hit the area on April 2, 2024. “The windows of our hostel shattered, and I saw a drone flying overhead. I ran so fast I left others behind,” she said.
Adau eventually managed to return home after her family paid for her ticket, but many others remain stranded, unable to afford their flights.
She believes the recruitment drive was part of Russia’s efforts to replace European and American workers who left following international sanctions.
The Alabuga management, however, denies any wrongdoing, insisting that participants work in “fields clearly listed on the programme’s website” and that “all staff are provided with the necessary protective gear.”
Meanwhile, the South African government and other African authorities are investigating the situation amid growing concerns that hundreds of young women may still be trapped in similar exploitative conditions in Russia.