It began with a Facebook ad promising the world: a scholarship, a hospitality job, and a new life in Russia. For dozens of young Kenyan women, it ended in a nightmare of slave-like labor inside a military drone factory 1,000 kilometers from Moscow.

An investigative report has unearthed the chilling details of the "Alabuga Start" program, a recruitment scheme that has allegedly trafficked over 180 African women, including at least 14 Kenyans, to the Republic of Tatarstan. Under the guise of work-study programs in catering and logistics, these women were funneled into the Alabuga Special Economic Zone to assemble Iranian-designed Shahed-136 attack drones for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

"They Own You"

The testimonies are heartbreaking. Women who left Nairobi dreaming of hotel management found themselves handling caustic chemicals and assembling fuselage parts for 12 hours a day. They live in dormitories under constant surveillance, their movements restricted, their passports often withheld.

"I thought I was going to serve food," one victim told investigators. "Instead, I am building death."

The pay, promised at $500 (approx. KES 75,000), is often slashed by arbitrary fines for "infractions" as minor as speaking out of turn. Worse, the women are trapped by debt bondage, having signed contracts they barely understood, liable for "recruitment fees" if they try to leave.

• The Government’s Stance: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has distanced itself, calling the recruiters "crooks" and warning Kenyans against unofficial job offers. Yet, the recruitment drives were public, often using social media platforms to target vulnerable, unemployed youth.
• A Global Web: The scheme targets the Global South—Uganda, Nigeria, South Sudan—exploiting economic desperation to fuel a war machine. It is modern-day slavery dressed in diplomatic cooperation.

The Silent Return

For the families back in Kenya, the silence is deafening. Phone calls are monitored; complaints are silenced. This scandal exposes the dark side of the "labor export" craze. While the government pushes for jobs abroad, it lacks the mechanism to protect its citizens once they cross the border. The women of Alabuga are not just workers; they are hostages of geopolitics, assembling the weapons of a war that is not their own.