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Bloomberg reported that Russian companies, under the guise of labor recruitment, may be luring young African women to factories producing Shahed drones in Tatarstan. The South African government has launched an investigation.
According to the agency, one of the main recruiters in South Africa is the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, where Shaheds are manufactured.
In January, the BRICS student commission, based in South Africa, posted job ads for women aged 18 to 22 in construction and hospitality in Alabuga.
By May, the local branch of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance signed an agreement to supply a total of 5,600 workers next year to the Alabuga company and the construction firm Etalonstroi Ural.
Research organizations, including the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), reported that African women are being misled and forced to work at the Shahed assembly plant.
ISIS noted that women are considered more reliable than men for this particular type of work.
In response to Bloomberg’s inquiry, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation said: “The South African government is investigating reports of foreign programs recruiting South Africans under false pretenses.”
According to a source familiar with the matter, officials in Pretoria may summon Russian diplomats for questioning.
“The South African government has not yet found any credible evidence that job offers in Russia do not correspond to their stated purpose. However, the government has taken note of the possible recruitment of young people by Alabuga,” the ministry’s reply stated.
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