Foreign women are tricked into assembling drones in Russia

In the Alabuga special economic zone, several hundred young women aged 18 to 22 from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Nigeria work at a kamikaze drone factory.

They work alongside young local college students who have previously complained of irregular work hours and steep fines, according to the Associated Press.

In an interview with the agency, the girls told the publication that they work under supervision almost without a break. And the caustic chemicals used to assemble drones irritate their skin and leave burns on their hands.

According to one of the workers, the women live in dormitories that are guarded around the clock, and entry is controlled by a facial recognition system.

Also, some girls said that they got to Alabuga by deception. They saw an advertisement on social networks that promised young women from African countries a free plane ticket and money for a long trip to Europe. To do this, they had to pass a computer game and a test of knowledge of 100 Russian words, including “factory” and the verbs “unhook” and “hook.”

The program initially promised women a salary of $700 a month, but later it was reduced to $500. At the same time, the cost of their accommodation, air tickets, insurance and Russian language classes is deducted from their salaries. In addition, due to sanctions, workers cannot send money home.

According to the Alabuga telegram channel, officials also tried to recruit staff from Ugandan orphanages. To achieve this, Russian officials visited more than 26 embassies in Moscow to promote the program.