The Russian government has recruited women from African countries to build drones in Tatarstan.
A free plane ticket, money and a far-reaching, unforgettable adventure in Europe.
With advertising slogans like these, Russia attracts young women from African countries to work at the arms factory in Tatarstan, the news agency AP reports.
Russia spreads advertisements on social media promising jobs in the accommodation and restaurant industry. In reality, African women have been recruited to build drones.
AP interviewed several women who have told about their experiences at the Russian drone factory.
Only after arriving in Russia did it become clear to many that they would not be working in a restaurant, but in a weapons factory.
In the interviews, it appears that in order to get a job, the women had to pass a short computer game and a Russian word test consisting of one hundred words. The word test asked about nouns such as factory and verbs such as attach and detach.
According to the women, Russia has not kept its promises. The women have said that salaries have not been paid on time, working hours have been longer than reported and they have had to handle dangerous chemicals at work.
The women have also said that they worked in a drone factory alongside Russian vocational school students. The youngest employees of the weapons factory were only 16 years old.
Russia established the Jelabuga special economic zone in 2006.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, during the war, Russia has turned the area into a military base and built a drone factory in the area, where Iranian Shahed drones are assembled.
Also Swedish Aftonbladet has told about the Jelabuga factory area.
Russia has recruited at least 200 women from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to the Jelabuga drone factory.
In addition to manpower, Russia has recruited soldiers from African countries.
Source: AP