DECEPTIVE recruitment programme targets young women from central and western Africa to build drones used against Ukrainian civilians
Russia is exploiting around 200 African women in weapons factories while maintaining laws that protect its own female citizens from the same dangerous work, according to new research that exposes Moscow’s discriminatory labour practices.
The women, mainly from central and west Africa, have been hired to work in defence industry factories that “build drones assembled from components imported from Iran – weapons that have been used extensively by Russia in its attacks on civilians in Ukraine,” writes Jennifer Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics at Aberystwyth University, in a damning analysis published in The Conversation.
The revelation comes as Russia faces a critical shortage of 400,000 workers in its defence industry, which employs approximately 4 million people to sustain the war in Ukraine.
Deceptive Social Media Campaign
The African women were recruited through a programme called Alabuga Start, which Mathers says “is advertised extensively on social media, including through paid influencers on TikTok.”
The programme specifically targets “young female migrant workers” with promises of attractive employment packages including work experience, training, accommodation, Russian language lessons and free flights to Russia.
However, Mathers reveals the recruitment is built on deception: “The sectors for employment identified include catering, hospitality and service jobs with no mention of drone assembly.”
“Once they arrive, the young women can find themselves living very different lives from those they had anticipated,” Mathers writes, documenting “reports of working long hours and exposure to dangerous chemicals, with passports being withheld to prevent women from leaving.”
Exploitative Pay Structure
While Russian defence workers earn an average of 89,700 roubles per month, “Alabuga Start recruits earn around 40,000 roubles a month – less than half the amount that Russian defence industry workers receive,” according to Mathers’ research.
The targeting of African women serves multiple exploitative purposes: “African women will work for less money than Russians. They are also believed to be easier to control than foreign men, while women are perceived to be better than men at tasks that require patience and precision,” Mathers explains.
Double Standards Exposed
The most damning aspect of Russia’s strategy is its protection of Russian women from the same work it forces on African women. Mathers reveals that “labour regulations introduced in the 1970s exclude women from many roles that are important to defence production, such as working with hazardous chemicals or heavy metals.”
These restrictions exist to “protect pregnant women and the fertility of future mothers,” and given “Putin’s emphasis on increasing the birth rate and on presenting Russia as a bastion of traditional gender roles, this is unlikely to change,” Mathers writes.
Yet this protection does not extend to foreign women: “The reluctance to recruit Russian women into jobs in the defence industry does not extend to women from other countries,” she notes.
Kenya Launches Investigation
African governments are beginning to respond to these exploitative practices. “Kenya has launched an investigation into Alabuga Start, which may see the programme shut down in that country,” Mathers reports.
Part of Broader Labour Crisis
The exploitation of African women is part of Russia’s desperate response to severe labour shortages caused by the Ukraine war. Mathers explains that “an estimated 1 million Russian citizens fled Russia in 2022 – either because they opposed the war in principle or because they wanted to avoid being forced to join the military and fight – or both.”
While some returned, “Russia lost approximately 650,000 people from its workforce, at least for the duration of the war and perhaps permanently.”
The defence industry also competes with military recruitment, as combat soldiers now earn “salaries of 200,000 roubles – more than US$2,000 – a month,” placing them “in the top 10% of Russia’s earners,” with signing bonuses “of as much as 4 million roubles.”
North Korean Workers Also Exploited
Russia has also turned to North Korean workers to fill shortages. “Thousands of Koreans have been sent to Russia to work in factories and in construction,” with “reports of ‘slave labour’ conditions and 18-hour days,” Mathers documents.
Reveals Military Weaknesses
Mathers concludes that these recruitment difficulties “reveal some serious weaknesses in Moscow’s military planning” and “indicate some of the strains that the war is placing on the country’s economy.”
The research exposes how Russia’s war effort depends not only on exploiting its allies’ soldiers but also on deceiving and exploiting African women workers while maintaining protections for its own citizens.
The discriminatory practices raise serious questions about Russia’s proclaimed partnerships with African nations, revealing instead a willingness to exploit African citizens for dangerous work deemed unsuitable for Russians.
