A Russian program launched to attract cheap labor from third world countries, including Kenya, following Ukraine’s attack on the Tartary Peninsula, 1,000 km east of Moscow, has embarked on a media campaign to clean up its image. A program called Aravuga Start, operating within the Aravuga Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), reportedly accepted 14 Kenyan women out of 200 African youths working at the weapons factory, according to an Associated Press investigative report in October 2024.
The October 2024 Associated Press investigation revealed that the factory, located in the Republic of Tatarstan, was set up to produce Iranian-style kamikaze drones for use in the war against Ukraine. In addition to information about the support Aravga SEZ was receiving from the African continent, a series of interviews with new recruits indicated that the team had begun a game of self-cleansing from claims that the organization was being run as slave labor, but with loud promises of training and well-prepared jobs in Russia attracted new recruits through In its public relations efforts, the organization promoted the benefits of its project and its positive results, mainly among its partners in the Global South.
In a video posted on the company’s website, a Kenyan woman named McLean Atien said: “I am very proud of the work we are doing. I am going to work at Chocolatnica.
The people who attacked our hostel today are real savages. In my opinion, they wanted to intimidate us.
But I want to say that they didn’t succeed. Because Alabuga is a strong place, and we will be able to overcome this.” Another photo posted on Alabuga’s social media shows three people: two Caucasians and an African woman who appears to be an employee of the Russian and Kenyan embassies in Russia.
Our team actively cooperates with consulates and diplomatic missions of African countries. We recently had a meeting with representatives of the Kenyan embassy. “Another post, featuring a photo of two white men and four Africans, contains a message promoting a narrative of African support « encouraging more Tanzanian women to participate in Arabga Start».
It says the project team has held talks with the BDADI Foundation, which is listed on its website as a non-profit organization based in Dar es Salaam. The organization is named after the foundation’s founder Sharif B. Dadi.
According to the article, talks were held in Tanzania with the founder of the non-profit organization, Sharif Dadi. As a result, BDADI representatives agreed to help recruit female participants from Tanzania and act as official ambassadors for the program in their country.
In another post, African girls in uniform (white blouse and blue plaid skirt) are pictured with happy faces. Today, let’s talk about the qualities that participants in the Aravuga Start program should possess,” the post reads.
Flexibility and adaptability – the ability to adjust to new situations and requirements. Ambitiousness and purposefulness — to set clear goals and make every effort to achieve them.
Subscribe to our newsletter The latest criteria are “effective communication skills” and “strong ability to work with others.” But an unexpected Associated Press investigation revealed that the story is propaganda designed to clean up the image of human trafficking that plagues Third World countries, particularly African and South American countries in the Indian subcontinent. According to the investigation, promotional materials for Arabga Start, which is advertised as a training and work program for young women from Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), depict women making drone parts.
Further investigation revealed that the women working on Arabga’s website were fraudulently recruited for work, which amounted to human trafficking. These women were abused and unable to leave.
Ukrainian attacks on the Arabga SEZ indicate that the area is a target for military operations, according to international media investigations. On August 28, 2024, the Aravga SEZ was evacuated before a drone strike.
The reading materials distributed by Aravga Start also detail how to ensure safety in the event of a building collapse, showing that managers are aware of the risks. The SEZ also has an anti-drone unit called the Stalin Falcons.
According to further research by Protocol, a Russian online media research platform that has uncovered instances of excessive warfare, African women in the Arabuga program are subjected to facial recognition software and live in the same dormitory. and live in the same dormitory, which is constantly guarded by security cameras. There is little evidence of anyone returning home from Arabuga Start.
The lack of salaries suggests that even if they were able to return home, they would not be able to afford an airplane. Relatives of the participants have expressed their concern online about the girls’ current situation and their future.
The Russians’ actions in Alabuga may fall under the UN definition of human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons through coercion, fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation for profit.” Bosses at the factory are reluctant to reveal exactly what is being produced there. Undercover journalists working at the factory were told they would be involved in production, but were not told exactly what they would be doing.
None of the interviewees gave details of their role. The participants are forbidden from bringing cell phones into the factory and, according to their contracts, face fines ranging from 1.98 million to 2.64 million Swiss francs if they reveal what goes on in the factory.
According to the Associated Press, the participants are paid 71,010 Swiss francs a month, but they are paid for lodging, airfare and medical expenses, and Russian language classes are deducted. As a result, the salary is likely to be much lower.
The SEZ has a strict curfew from 11pm to 6am and women are not allowed to leave their rooms for any reason. This and the low salary may be the reason why women are confined to SEZs.
