Russia’s Alabuga programme, ostensibly presented as a work-study opportunity, is facing allegations of exploitation and indoctrination targeting young African women. Marketed with promises of high salaries, free flights, and integration into Russian society, the programme has drawn scrutiny for its lack of transparency and credible evidence of benefits.
By Charles Mafa & Ennety Munshya
The Russian “Alabuga Start” programme, marketed vaguely as an educational or work-study initiative, is now facing serious allegations of being a harsh labour and indoctrination scheme targeting young African girls.
The programme primarily targets young African women, offering the allure of a high monthly salary—double the average earnings in their home countries and significantly more than such positions typically pay in Russia. The programme also promises work training, long-term accommodation, and integration into Russian society.
Although the Zambian Immigration Department has yet to confirm the exact number of young Zambian women who have traveled for this programme, MakanDay investigations indicate that four have recently joined.
Further investigation by MakanDay have uncovered the involvement of organisations such as the Zambia-Russia Graduates Alumni Association (ZAMRUS) in Zambia and Smile Nation Foundation in the Gambia in West Africa in promoting the initiative.
Despite being advertised as “the international programme from Russia offering a free flight and a chance to earn well, even without work experience,” the true nature of the programme remains shrouded in secrecy. The Russian government has not provided clear explanations, and efforts to get answers have been met with silence.
The Russian Embassy in Lusaka did not immediately respond to MakanDay’s request for comment. Instead, the embassy referred the questions to the Russian cultural centre in Lusaka, which has yet to provide a response.
ZAMRUS, an alumni association for former Zambian graduates of Russian and Soviet universities, is involved in promoting the programme in Zambia by sharing information on its Facebook page. However, the organisation has declined to respond to MakanDay’s questions, including whether it independently verified claims about the programme’s benefits and working conditions.
Another key player in the recruitment in Africa is the Smile Nation Foundation, based in The Gambia, West Africa. When MakanDay reached out to inquire about the programme, the organisation provided a Google document outlining the enrolment procedure but has yet to respond to follow-up questions.
MakanDay has identified several red flags, including the failure of both the Russian Embassy in Lusaka and the organisations involved in recruitment to provide the names of successful returnees from the Alabuga programme.
To date, there is no evidence to support claims that the Alabuga programme delivers the high-end lifestyle it advertises.
A review of various social media platforms where the programme is promoted lacks credible evidence to demonstrate its success. For instance, the Alabuga programme’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) or Telegram mainly show participants either arriving at the airport or posing for photos with programme promoters.
In a photo reviewed by MakanDay, posted on a private Telegram group (with over 21,300 subscribers) also offer revealing insights. On 4th March 2024, a welcome message accompanied the image, which reads:
“We welcome newly arrived participants of Alabuga Start programme. The ladies flew from Uganda, CAR, South Sudan and Zambia to Russia. Soon you will be going through the work permit issuance and employment process. You will do great! Our HR will support you and help if you have question.”
The ladies flew from Uganda, CAR, South Sudan and Zambia to Russia ?? Soon you will be going through the work permit issuance and employment process. You will do great!
Our HR will support you and help if you have questions ?????
Another strategy used to attract more young women to the programme involves staged interviews with selected participants. For instance, on 15th December 2024, the Alabuga Telegram channel hosted a live broadcast featuring Joan Mwila, a Zambian participant in the “Alabuga Start” programme.
During the broadcast, listeners were presented with the programme’s purported benefits and career opportunities, along with an opportunity to ask Joan questions directly.
Other Alabuga Start social media platforms also features pictures of successful applicants from various African countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Algeria, and Mozambique.
Some African governments may be complicit in the recruitment, whether knowingly or unknowingly, contributing to practices that could be considered human trafficking. For instance, in 2022, Nigerian government documents allocated 150 spots at Alabuga Polytechnic.
For example, in 2022, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education also promoted the Alabuga Start programme on its website and Telegram, while in 2023, Uganda allocated 218 spaces for its citizens in the programme. In 2024, Alabuga Start sent a team to the Kenyan Embassy in Russia to discuss increasing the number of Kenyan participants.
Production and recruitment numbers at Alabuga are on the rise. Current estimates suggest there may be as many as 600 foreign recruits at Alabuga Start. Russian promotional materials from 2023 indicated a target of 2,000 recruits for that year. By 2024, the factory is producing up to 5,200 suicide drones annually, with plans to further expand production.
Other media reports
In July 2023, the independent Russian investigative outlets Protokol and Razvorot published a joint investigation revealing that African recruits at the Alabuga SEZ drone factory were enduring exploitative conditions, including long working hours and harsh punishments inflicted on teenagers as young as 15. By August, the story had gained international attention, highlighting the recruitment of a very young, low-skilled workforce of Russian teenagers and African women for drone production under alleged exploitative terms.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone, which lies around 600 miles east of Moscow, was originally set up in 2006 to attract Western companies with generous tax breaks. But, after the war started, several of its major tenants left. Part of the site has significantly expanded since it switched to military production, satellite imagery shows.
Africa’s Cost in the Russia-Ukraine War
Russia, along with the Russian-backed private military company Wagner, now operating under the name “Africa Corps,” has a troubling history of deceptively recruiting young African men to fight in Ukraine.
Two notable cases include Lemekhani Nyirenda, a 23-year-old Zambian, and Nemes Tarimo, a 37-year-old Tanzanian. Both were imprisoned in Russia on dubious drug charges, offered freedom in exchange for fighting with Wagner, and tragically lost their lives in Ukraine.
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