Kenyan woman in Russian propaganda denying forced labour in war factories

The Russian program launched to recruit cheap labour from third world countries including Kenya started a media campaign to clean up its image after Ukraine struck its nerve center in Tartarstan, 1000 kilometers east of Moscow.

The program going by the name Alabuga start running under  Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is reported to have entrapped  fourteen Kenyan women among 200 youthful Africans working at a factory that makes arms. The  enterprise based in the republic of Tatarstan and was set up to produce Iranian type kamikaze drones being used in the war against Ukraine

In April last year the entity was hit by a Ukrainian drone destroying structures and injuring several, according to an Associated Press October 2024 investigative report.

In a series of interviews with recruits giving their testimonies as well as information about the support Alabuga SEZ is getting from the African continent, the team embarked on a game of cleansing itself from claims of running a slave -labour -like entity but recruits through lofty promises of training and  ready jobs in Russia.

The public relations mission spread propaganda about the benefits of their project and how positive it is to its partners mostly from the global south.

In one of the videos shared through its website a Kenyan woman named Macrene Achieng  says "I came to work and study at Alabuga Polytech in the field of Service and Hospitality. And I am going to work in Shokoladnitsa. I am fine now” Speaking in flawless English she adds “Those who attacked our hostel today are real barbarians and they deserve serious condemnation. In my opinion they wanted to intimidate us. But I want to tell you they did not succeed. You won't scare me, because Alabuga is a strong place and we will get through this."

Achieng warns that no one will scare her.

In another post captured on its social media walls Alabuga shares a picture of three individuals, two Caucasians and an Africa woman said to be an official of the Kenyan Embassy in Russia. In a picture caption the team says  “Our team is actively collaborating with African consulates and missions. So, recently there was a meeting with representatives of the Kenyan Embassy”

Another post spotting a picture of two Caucasians and four Africans the message pushes the narrative of support from Africa countries  "Encouraging More Tanzanian Females to Participate in Alabuga Start"

 The write up says the project team engaged in discussions with BDADI Foundation which describes itself on its website as a non-profit organization based in Dar es Salaam.  The organisation’s name is an offshoot of the name of the foundation’s founder Sharifu B Dadi. 

The write up says in Tanzania, negotiations took place with Sharifu Dadi, the founder of the non-profit non-governmental organization

During the meeting, the project team introduced the international program "Alabuga Start," leading to several agreements being reached. Sharifu Dadi emphasized the importance of involving more females from Tanzania in Alabuga Start.
As a result, representatives from BDADI offered their support in recruiting participants from Tanzania and agreed to serve as official program ambassadors in their country.

Another post spotting a picture of uniformed (white blouse and blue checked skirt) African girls with happy faces Alabuga spells out its high level standards guiding training and job culture. It reads “Today, let's talk about the qualities that participants of the Alabuga Start programme should have”

It says  “Discipline and responsibility- To consistently and systematically perform tasks. Flexibility and adaptability - To successfully adapt to new conditions and requirements. Ambition and determination - It is vital to clearly define your goals and be prepared to make every effort to achieve them, which is crucial for the successful completion of the programme”

The last standard according to the write up is Effective communication skills and a strong ability to collaborate with others which is defined as the ability to work effectively in a team which provides participants with the opportunity to boost productivity.

In a startling Associated Press investigations however this talk emerged as propaganda to clean up the image of what is looking to be a human trafficking racket affecting mostly third world countries on the Indian sub-continent Africa and South American countries.

The investigation said promotional material for ‘Alabuga Start’, advertised as a study and work programme for young women from Africa and countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), seems to show women making drone parts.

Further research suggested that those at the Alabuga site are deceptively recruited, which amounts to human trafficking. They are mistreated, and find themselves unable to leave.

The Ukrainian attack on Alabuga SEZ  was according to international media investigative reports shows that the area is a target for military operations. To further indict the place as a secret arms manufacturing center , on 28 August 2024 the SEZ was evacuated ahead of a possible drone strike. Available reading material by Alabuga Start also detailed how to stay safe if a building collapses which indicates that supervisors know the risks. An anti-drone unit called ‘Stalin’s Falcons’ is also present in the SEZ

Case of Human Trafficking

Further investigations by Protokol, a Russian online media investigative platform that has been revealing excesses of war said African women on the Alabuga program share dormitories which are constantly guarded, with facial recognition software and surveillance cameras.

There is little evidence of anyone returning home from Alabuga Start; lack of pay suggests that even if they could leave they would be unable to afford flights. Relatives of participants have expressed anxiety online about the girls’ current state and future.

Russian activity at Alabuga may fit the UN definition of human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit”.

Supervisors running the show at the factory refuse to say what is being manufactured in there. An undercover journalist who was interviewed for a role in the factory was told she would work in manufacturing but could not be told what she would make. None of the people interviewing opened up on details of what he role entailed.

Participants are forbidden from bringing phones into the factory,  and their contracts threaten to fine them between Sh 1 980 ,000-2,640,000 if they speak about what happens at the factory.

According to the Associated Press, participants receive Sh 71,010 monthly, but the costs of accommodation, airfare, medical care and Russian-language classes are deducted from this.  Salaries are likely much lower as a result.

 The SEZ imposes a strict curfew from 11pm to 6am, when women cannot leave their rooms for any reason. This and the low pay suggest that women may be trapped at the site.