Africans recruited to work in Russia say they were duped into building drones for use in Ukraine

Russia is recruiting young African women to work at a factory producing drones for use in Ukraine amid a labor shortage.

The plant in Tatarstan ’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone is about 1,000 kilometers ( 600 miles ) east of Moscow .

About 200 African women are working alongside Russian vocational students as young as 16 in the plant.

In the first half of this year , 182 women were recruited, mostly from Central and East African countries.

Documents leaked last year detail the workforce growing from just under 900 people in 2023 to over 2,600 in 2025 .

The factory also draws workers from Alabuga Polytechnic , a nearby vocational boarding school for Russians age 16-18 and Central Asians age 18-22 .

Human Rights Watch said Russia is actively recruiting foreigners from Africa and India to support its war in Ukraine .

Uganda ’s Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development said it raised concerns with its embassy in Moscow about the Alabuga recruiting effort, particularly over the age of the women.

Ugandan government said it wanted to ensure the women “do not end up in exploitative employment”.