Bruno Bossola

Russia is trying to make Kherson uninhabitable and wages a brutal campaign against civilians— striking vehicles, buses, and even pedestrians with indiscriminate attacks. The occupiers unashamedly say that "this is good practice for young drone operators to upgrade their skills and prepare for real combat operations." This cruel "human safari" has led to many Kherson residents being too afraid to leave their homes, even for basic necessities, fearing they could become the next target. Many have fled the city. Russia considers Kherson a "Russian" city. And yet, it is under Russian attacks every single day.

Alabuga Start became the finish line - Russia tricks girls from Africa into working for the war. They are promised money, education, and career advancement. However, instead of an "adventure in faraway Europe," they ended up at a defense company under sanctions and a legitimate target for Ukraine, where they are now forced to assemble drones for the Russian side. ◾️ Alabuga Start is a recruitment program of the Russian plant for the production of Iranian Shahed-136 drones located in Alabuga Special Economic Zone (Tatarstan). To make up for the acute shortage of labor, Russian students were initially recruited to work at the production facility for free. Now, they recruit women from 18 to 22 years old from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. The campaign is also spreading to Asian countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and Latin America. There is a branch designed to recruit female workers from some CIS countries. At first, victims were lured through online job advertisements and private recruiters. ◾️ Alabuga's recent activity in African countries indicates an expansion of the recruitment program. According to David Albright @DAVIDHALBRIGHT1, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, plant representatives recently visited Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Madagascar, where they signed memorandums of cooperation with local organizations. ◾️ As Voice of America has learned, several African and other governments have shown willingness to cooperate. For example, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education posted an advertisement for the Alabuga Start program. Investigative journalists found similar documents from the governments of Uganda, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training announced that it was accepting applications for the program. ◾️ The program is aimed at countries with high unemployment and low living standards. Many African women recruited by the program expected that the free flight, earnings, and Russian language training promised by the program would be a good start to getting a higher education, such as medical education, and becoming a qualified specialist. Instead, they were expected to work in workshops with toxic materials under the strict control of Russian supervisors. Alabuga Start participants are mainly employed to assemble UAV fuselages, which do not require extensive training and high qualifications. ◾️ In interviews with the Associated Press, some women complained of long hours of work under constant surveillance, false promises about training and wages, and caustic chemicals that caused skin pockmarks and severe itching. No protests by the governments of countries whose citizens have been enslaved by Putin's military-industrial complex have been reported. 📹: promotional video published by Alabuga Start Program in January 2024