Interpol Investigates Human Trafficking Allegations Linked to Tatarstans Drone Production Program

Interpol is currently looking into a professional training initiative for African women associated with a prominent Russian drone manufacturer, as reported by Bloomberg, which cited the head of Interpol’s office in Botswana.

Detective Senior Superintendent Selebatso Mokgosi informed Bloomberg that the agency is investigating whether the program, known as Alabuga Start, is linked to human trafficking, following an examination of its social media activity.

The Alabuga factory, situated in the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, is a key supplier of drones for the Russian military, capable of producing around 200 Iranian-style Shahed drones each month, which are then deployed in the conflict in Ukraine.

Marketed as a two-year accelerator designed to help women from the Global South secure jobs within the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, Alabuga Start is being scrutinized for potentially acting as a facade to attract a large number of young women to work at the drone assembly line, especially as Russia faces a domestic labor shortage.

Various investigations into Alabuga’s operations have indicated that women and minors who were brought into the workforce at the facility encountered poor working conditions and were subjected to constant surveillance.

Alabuga, located over 1,000 kilometers away from Russia’s border with Ukraine, has come under fire from at least two Ukrainian drone attacks.

The first strike, which occurred in April of last year, resulted in no fewer than 13 injuries, including foreign nationals suspected of being employed at the drone production site.