Alabuga Exposed: How Young African Women Are Lured Into Dangerous Drone Work

Plenty African women dey work for Russia factory, dey build Shahed-136 drone wey dey kill Ukraine civilians, including women and children. Since Russia start full war against Ukraine for February 2022, dem don begin use young African women take fill manpower gap for Alabuga Special Economic Zone.

These women dey face many danger: human trafficking, contact with harmful chemicals, and even drone attacks (videos full everywhere for social media).

Alabuga SEZ dey expand well well now, dem wan produce thousands more military drone to support the illegal war wey dem dey fight for Ukraine. Satellite picture of the place show say dem dey plan build new house for workers, summer camp for children, and even tent city wey go join the camps.

The Alabuga START program dey mislead young women, men and their families.
Instead, women wey dey Alabuga talk say dem “trap” them, dem no fit comot, dem dey receive less pay than wetin dem promise, and dem dey force them make weapons under unsafe condition.

Interpol for Botswana dey currently investigate Alabuga START for possible human trafficking after dem see social media posts from their recruiters.

Young African men too dey reportedly target. Family and friends of victims talk how dem use trick recruit people, trap them, and how some end up for war front for Ukraine, where dem dey use them like “human wave attack” and treat them like “cannon fodder” (like life no mean anything).

Alabuga START dey only recruit women from Global South between age 18 to 22. These women don face serious racism, with Russian supervisors dey call them “mulatto” and other bad names. One participant tell AP say dem dey treat them “like donkey”.

Interview wey Eris Network do with women for Alabuga show say some women wey leave the program don enter prostitution just to survive.

From wetin we don see with African men for Russia, African women too fit face racist abuse. For example, one man from Gabon, Francois Njelassi, dem stab am to death just because say him be black. As he dey mind him business with friends for Burger King for Yekaterinburg, two young Russian men insult am with racist words before dem kill am. Police stand dey watch most of the time. One of the attackers get connection with white supremacist group.

Almost 200 women from different African and Asian countries dey work for Alabuga START. Dem no fit leave the Special Economic Zone, not to talk of going back home. Dem get curfew and dem no allow them talk about the drone work — anybody wey talk fit face threat or fine.

Dem dey receive small pay, sometimes no pay at all. Dem promise them education and better life, but wetin dem meet na suffering and exploitation under hard condition.

According to UN, human trafficking na “when people recruit, move or keep people through force, lie or trick, just to exploit them for profit”.

Alabuga na part of Russia war economy. Dem dey produce weapons wey dey kill women and children for Ukraine. For April 2024, one drone attack hit factory for Alabuga. The women — wey nobody warn about the danger — dey exposed to serious risk. Apart from drone attacks, dem dey work with chemicals without protection, causing skin problems and constant itching.

We be independent network of female investigators, journalists and activists. Our work dey focus on exposing harmful and exploitative actions by individuals, organisations and governments — especially the ones wey affect women. Our members dey come from different parts of the world, but dem stay anonymous because of the kind work wey dem dey do.