Ukraine war: Russia’s drone scheme for Nigerians sparks uproar
By Daylight
June 1, 2025
Tuggar
The Federal Government has denied knowledge of a controversial Russian work-study programme linked to the production of military drones used in the war against Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria was not involved in it.
However, a document posted on the website of the Ministry of Education, which had been trending for a while, suggests Nigerian youths were encouraged to apply for the scholarship.
The controversy centres on the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
The centre is a sprawling industrial hub that came under Ukrainian missile attack on April 23, 2025.
At the heart of the facility’s operations is the production of Iranian-designed suicide drones deployed by Russian forces in their ongoing military campaign.
It is within this zone that a programme dubbed, “Alabuga Start” has emerged as a focal point of concern.
Military job disguised
Marketed as a vocational training scheme for foreign students, the programme has drawn condemnation following revelations that young African women, some allegedly under the age of 18, were recruited under false pretences.
Reports suggest that participants believed they were enrolling in academic and technical training but found themselves working on drone assembly lines under hazardous conditions.
A report by The Economist on Thursday revealed that the young recruits were not informed that their work would contribute directly to Russia’s military effort.
The report aligned with earlier findings by the which in 2024 documented how social media platforms, including and , had removed several accounts promoting the Alabuga Start programme.
The platforms acted following the exposure of recruitment efforts championed by a school known as Alabuga Polytechnic, which brands itself as a centre for advanced technical education, particularly in drone manufacturing.
The removed accounts had a combined following of over 53,000 users.
Some former workers at the facility told AP that they endured gruelling conditions, long shifts under surveillance, exposure to toxic chemicals, and unmet promises regarding pay and the curriculum.
Four women reported working up to 12 hours per day with irregular days off.
Most of those interviewed expressed dissatisfaction over the wage paid. They revealed that initial promises of a $700 monthly wage were revised down to “over $500” in later communications.
Also, expenses, ranging from airfare and accommodation to medical costs and language lessons, were reportedly deducted from salaries.
Inside Alabuga drone factory
According to a detailed report by the Voice of America, after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it deepened military ties with Iran, signing a $1.7bn deal that same year to import Iranian-made drones, known as UAVs.
It noted that the drones, initially shipped in disassembled parts, are mass-produced on Russian soil, most notably at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.
Originally established in 2006 to attract foreign investment and boost industrial development, Alabuga has since transformed.
Following the invasion, parts of the zone were converted for military use, with satellite imagery revealing the expansion and refurbishment of facilities dedicated to drone production.
The primary focus is the Shahed-136, a one-way attack drone.
According to leaked documents and reports from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, Alabuga aims to produce up to 6,000 drones annually by 2025.
The scholarship
Faced with record-low unemployment and a domestic workforce depleted by war mobilisation and emigration, the factory turned to vocational students and cheap foreign labour.
According to VOA, verified documents show the workforce expanded from fewer than 900 in 2023 to a projected 2,600 by 2025.
Many of the assembly-line workers were initially foreign women, particularly from Central and East Africa, tasked with assembling drones and applying industrial chemicals and paints.
In early 2025, 182 women, mostly from African nations, were recruited, according to the Alabuga Start programme’s Facebook page.
Recruitment drives were held in Uganda, where efforts reportedly extended to orphanages.
Russian officials also visited over two dozen embassies in Moscow to promote the scheme, targeting potential labour from Africa, South America, and Asia.
The factory also draws from Alabuga Polytechnic, a boarding vocational school nearby, where Russian teenagers and Central Asian youth, some as young as 15, are trained in drone manufacturing.
Investigative outlets Protokol and Razvorot also reported complaints of poor working conditions from students.
Life inside complex
Based on the VOA report, foreign recruits live in guarded dormitories with shared kitchens.
Social media posts reveal that entry is controlled by facial recognition, with CCTV monitoring throughout.
Recruits are also said to have been issued local SIM cards but must surrender their phones before entering the drone production zone, a designated military facility.
A worker, who spoke to AP, described the training they received to assemble drones and apply a chemical coating with the texture of yoghurt.
She said the substance caused painful facial irritation and “tiny holes” on her skin. Protective gear was reportedly insufficient or unavailable.
While AP could not identify the exact chemical, Fabian Hinz of the International Institute for Strategic Studies confirmed that such manufacturing processes involve caustic materials.
Nigeria’s connection
The Nigerian link to the programme surfaced after a letter issued by the Federal Ministry of Education’s Federal Scholarship Board went viral.
The letter, bearing official insignia, appeared to invite Nigerian youths to apply for the Alabuga Start programme.
It listed a variety of academic disciplines, including Industrial Automation and Electrical Installation.
Checks by Sunday PUNCH confirmed that the letter was indeed published on the official website of the Federal Scholarship Board under the link titled, “Russia 2022 Special Economic Zone,” giving it a semblance of credibility and prompting questions about possible official endorsement.
The letter on the website read in part, “Scholarship offer from the Special Economic Zone, ‘Alabuga’ Republic of Tatarstan.
“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Russia is notifying Nigerians about the Alabuga Start Programme, which has an offer of one hundred and fifty (150) scholarships to international students to compete for scholarship slots in Alabuga Polytech.
“Alabuga Polytech offers undergraduate programmes in Industrial Robotics, Industrial Automation, Electrical Installation, Laboratory Chemical Analysis, Information Systems and Programming, as well as Maintenance and Repair of Radio Electronic Equipment. Punch
