Russia deceived African women into assembling drones for the war against Ukraine. This was reported by the Telegram channel “The Moscow Times”, citing the Associated Press (AP).
The agency spoke with six women working at a factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. They shared that they came across an advertisement on social media promising young African women a free plane ticket to russia and a high-paying internship in areas such as hospitality and public catering. To qualify, they only had to complete a computer game and a russian language test consisting of 100 words. All of this was presented as an "adventure in Europe". However, upon arrival in Tatarstan, the women learned that they would be working at a weapons manufacturing plant, specifically assembling Iranian-designed combat drones known as Shahed.
According to the publication, the factory in Alabuga is seeking African women aged 18-22 from countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. In the first half of this year, 182 residents from the eastern and central parts of the continent were hired, as reported on the Facebook page dedicated to the Alabuga Start program. The offer is currently also being extended to countries in Latin America and Asia, such as Sri Lanka. The advertisement promises to "help women start their careers".
An analysis of about 2,000 documented Shahed attacks by Ukrainian military forces since July 29 shows that around 95% of the drones do not hit their targets. Instead, they crash into Ukrainian rivers and fields or deviate from their targets. According to an analysis by David Albright's team, a former UN weapons inspector, until July, only about 14% of Shaheds successfully struck their intended targets.