Bloomberg has reported that Russian companies may be recruiting young African women under the guise of offering jobs, instead sending them to work at Shahed drone assembly plants in Tatarstan. The South African government has launched an investigation.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: According to the report, the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, where Shahed drones are manufactured, is one of the main recruiters in South Africa.

In January, the BRICS student commission, which is based in South Africa, published advertisements offering positions in construction and hospitality in Alabuga for women aged 18 to 22.

By May, the local branch of the BRICS women’s business alliance had signed an agreement to supply a total of 5,600 workers to the Alabuga company and the construction firm Etalonstroi Ural the following year.

Research organisations, including the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said African women were being misled and forced to work at Shahed assembly facilities. ISIS noted that women are considered more reliable than men for this type of work.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation told Bloomberg that “the South African government is actively investigating reports of foreign programmes that recruit South Africans under false pretenses”.

A source familiar with the matter said Pretoria officials may summon Russian diplomats for questioning.

“The South African government is yet to find any credible evidence that job offers in Russia are inconsistent with their stated purpose. However, the government has noted the alleged recruitment of youth by the Alabuga company,” the ministry said in its response.

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