Since the autumn of 2022, Ukrainian cities have been suffering from attacks by Iranian Shahed 136 drones. This weapon turned out to be extremely effective for the enemy due to the shortage of air defense systems and their high cost. At first, combined strikes together with drones targeted energy infrastructure facilities. The Kremlin expected to deprive us of light and heat, forcing society into capitulation. When this plan failed, the Russian army switched to mass shelling of civilian cities. The choice was made in favor of a terror tactic.


This scale required the creation of production capacities in Russia and the involvement of a large number of workers. The ideal platform for this became the special economic zone of Alabuga in Tatarstan. This is a territory with preferential conditions for business, which was supposed to become a tool of development but in fact turned into a conveyor of war.


It was there that the Russians built a factory that is constantly increasing drone production. To cover personnel needs, the Kremlin launched two programs: Alabuga Polytechnic and Alabuga Start. The first is based on using college students, who are effectively forced to work on the drone conveyor under inhumane conditions, but still, these are Russian citizens. The second, much more interesting even from the perspective of the country-aggressor’s political direction, involves foreign women. Many foreign mediawrote about the involvement of foreign women in drone production, but hardly mentioned the process itself.


The editorial team of Channel 24, with the help of intelligence sources, investigated how Russians recruit foreign women for Shahed production. Read further in the material about the full selection procedure, how an Estonian company is involved in the scheme, and other interesting details.


Among the initiatives created under this project, special attention should be given to the Alabuga Start program. It is not just an educational or labor platform but essentially a tool for recruiting young foreign women. Alabuga Start is a program aimed at girls aged 18 to 22 from CIS countries, Africa, and Asia. As can be seen from the list of countries on the website, the main focus is on the “black continent.”

List of countries / Alabuga Start Website


It is enough to know one hundred Russian words and the door to “new opportunities” opens. In practice, however, young foreign women end up in long shifts at Alabuga’s workshops, where under strict supervision they assemble Shahed 136 drones.

Examples of program advertisements / From Russian sources

Screenshot / RuTube


The program is accompanied by a large-scale international recruitment campaign. Russians use TikTok, Telegram bots, and even Tinder, and hold meetings with international delegations. Advertising activity covers both small bloggers with a few hundred followers and major influencers in Africa and Latin America. Simplified mechanisms for document processing are created for the girls, and even sponsors are involved to pay for their relocation. Behind this stands the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which helps legalize the process through diplomatic channels. The large advertising campaign includes cooperation with various NGOs and educational initiatives.

Meeting of Alabuga Start representatives and Burkina Faso Ministers / Alabuga Start Telegram channel


The visit of an Alabuga Start representative to Burkina Faso looks like another step in Russia’s attempt to expand its influence through educational-labor projects. Official meetings with the Ministry of Employment and the Ministry of Higher Education aimed to create an image of “international partnership,” where the Kremlin allegedly acts as an investor in the development of African youth.
Special attention was given to open events in the capital Ouagadougou, where potential candidates and their parents were invited. Thus, the program seeks to gain the trust not only of students but also of families, who have the final influence on children’s decisions.
In reality, however, behind the beautiful presentations lies a well-developed scheme: recruiting cheap labor for conveyor drone production in Tatarstan. African countries, where young people often lack prospects and stable employment, become a convenient platform for finding “volunteers.”


Meeting of Alabuga Start representatives and ambassadors of African countries / Alabuga Start Telegram channel

On July 27–28, 2023, the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum was held in St. Petersburg – an event that Moscow presents as a “unique format of cooperation.” Against this backdrop of diplomacy and partnership, the activity of the Alabuga Start team, which positioned itself as an educational project but in fact pursues other goals, was particularly noticeable.
Led by the head of the HR direction, the Alabuga delegation held a series of meetings with representatives of “partner” countries. Among them were Uganda’s ambassador to Russia Moses Kizige and Russia’s ambassador to Ethiopia Yevgeny Terekhin. The discussions were far from humanitarian declarations: they talked about practical mechanisms for attracting new participants – from spreading information among youth to organizing accelerated passport and visa issuance for program participants. Russia uses diplomacy and economic forums as a tool to disguise its real goal: involving partners from African countries in military projects that serve the war against Ukraine.


Meeting of Alabuga Start representatives and a delegation from Nigeria / Alabuga Start Telegram channel


The visit of the delegation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, led by Ambassador Professor Abdullahi Y. Shehu, to the special economic zone “Alabuga” is another detail in the picture of Russia’s systemic work with African countries. The official part looked decent: a meeting with participants of the Alabuga Start program, demonstration of conditions, and stories about “educational opportunities.” In reality, however, it is not about “cooperation in education,” but about establishing a stable channel of labor supply for drone production in Tatarstan. Thus, diplomatic contacts with Africa become part of Russia’s war economy, and it is precisely from this perspective that such visits should be viewed.
To conduct its events, the Alabuga Start program actively uses foreign representations of the Russian structure “Rossotrudnichestvo,” known under the brand “Russian Houses.” Formally, this organization positions itself as a state instrument of “humanitarian” influence, enshrined in Russian legislation.
In reality, however, “Rossotrudnichestvo” has long turned into one of the important tools of Russian special services abroad. Under the guise of cultural and educational programs, it promotes the ideology of the so-called “Russian world,” feeding Kremlin propaganda and legitimizing its informational and political influence worldwide.

Business Cats Olympiad in the CAR / Alabuga Start Telegram channel


Recruitment takes place simultaneously through social networks, official channels, and even diplomatic meetings. The Kremlin is trying to create an image of openness and “new opportunities,” but in reality, this is just a cover for the exploitation of girls lured into Russia’s military industry.


The recruitment process for the Alabuga Start program begins with filling out an application. There are several ways to do this: the official website, comments under posts on the Telegram page, as well as through educational institutions that act as program partners.
After submitting the form, an HR manager contacts the future participant. Among the main requirements are a foreign passport, the necessary vaccinations, and knowledge of one hundred basic Russian words. The check takes place during an online interview. Another mandatory condition is completing a special game called Business Cats, created specifically for candidate selection.
The participant’s fate then depends on the quotas for work visas for her country. Business Cats works as a filter: it weeds out those who do not demonstrate analytical skills or have communication difficulties. The same program is used for selecting students for the Alabuga Polytechnic program, where youth are also used in drone production.
The developer of this “game” is the Russian company “Satvaspace.”

Screenshot from the developers’ website / Satvaspace


During a deeper study of “Satvaspace’s” structure, we were able to find an Estonian company with a similar name – SATVA.DEV. It turned out that the owners are the same people: Anton Skripnik and Mikhail Yegeryev.

Screenshot of the website / Satvaspace


Screenshot of the website / SATVA.DEV


The Estonian company itself states on its website that it collaborates with many well-known brands, including the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

Screenshot of the website / SATVA.DEV


One wonders whether these well-known brands know that they entrust their software development to a company that helps recruit girls worldwide for the production of kamikaze drones used to kill Ukrainians? The Russians are not even trying to hide this connection. On the SATVA.DEV website, the Business Cats game is listed among completed projects. The only difference is that the Estonian company does not indicate the real client, concealing its involvement with Alabuga.

Screenshot of the website / SATVA.DEV


The editorial team of Channel 24 contacted the relevant Estonian and Ukrainian authorities and provided materials with evidence of the Russian footprint in the Estonian company.


If a girl passes all the selection stages and a work visa quota is found for her country, she travels to Tatarstan, which is presented in advertising materials as a place of new opportunities. In reality, she faces slave labor in drone production workshops. According to AP, many workers lack protective gear, chemicals cause sensations like small needles pricking the face, and “tiny holes” appear on the cheeks that itch badly.
Upon arrival, the girl is met by an HR department representative. Sometimes this role is performed by another program participant. This process demonstrates that in Alabuga even recruitment is turned into a closed loop of coercion.


Photos of new arrivals / Channel 24 sources

Photos of new arrivals / Channel 24 sources


Photos of new arrivals / Channel 24 sources


After that, everything happens according to internal procedures. However, it is worth remembering that this is the Russian Federation, where any “procedure” takes on a rather specific form. Behind the fine words and formal rules lies a system that resembles a mechanism of control and intimidation rather than a civilized integration process.


Patriotic education of foreign women, Russian-style: watch the video


Let’s not forget about the militarization of everyone in Russia. For example, so-called patriotic education combined with a history course

Photo / Alabuga Start Telegram channel


Photo / Alabuga Start Telegram channel


Thus, young foreign women are recruited under the guise of “new opportunities,” but in reality they are forced to work in drone production that kills civilians in Ukraine. What in propaganda materials looks like international cooperation and personal development turns out to be another weapon in Russia’s hands, built on lies and exploitation.


The Russians not only create drones using foreign labor but also try to integrate them into the system of information and psychological influence. A clear example is the appearance of the Eris Nexus community, the “Saint’s Order,” created in September 2024.
It is worth noting that the name “Eris Nexus” is clearly chosen with symbolic intent. “Eris” is the ancient Greek goddess of discord and strife. In Russian interpretation, this becomes an allegory of chaos, which the community should allegedly bring to Ukraine. In turn, “Nexus” means connection, linking. Thus, the name translates as “connection of chaos,” which corresponds to the idea of a structure that should unite various elements into a single destructive system.

Telegram channel Eris Nexus


However, the essence of this community is much more prosaic and frightening. Russians combine foreign workers who produce Shaheds and Russian kamikaze drone operators into one information field. This is the so-called fusion of the production and military segments.

Telegram channel Eris Nexus


The network’s visualization shows that it connects three main groups: producers of drones, their operators, and propagandists who promote this idea. In this way, they create not just a technical but also an ideological system.

Network visualization / Channel 24 sources


The community constantly spreads narratives about “justice” and “punishment of enemies,” using elements of gamification and pseudo-religious rhetoric. In particular, operators are called “brothers,” and foreign women recruited through Alabuga Start are “sisters of Eris.” This creates the illusion of unity and belonging to a large “sacred mission.”

Telegram channel Eris Nexus

Telegram channel Eris Nexus


Using elements of cult culture, the Russians disguise the exploitation of people, trying to present it as a voluntary and noble mission. In practice, it is nothing more than another mechanism of control and manipulation.


The activity of the Alabuga Start program and the Eris Nexus community demonstrates how Russia combines military production with ideological influence and international recruitment. Using cheap labor from Africa and Asia, the Kremlin creates drones that are later used for terror against Ukrainians. At the same time, propaganda channels turn this process into a “sacred mission,” where foreign women are forced into roles of “sisters of Eris,” and operators become “warrior brothers.”


Behind the beautiful words about education, cooperation, and new opportunities lies slavery, exploitation, and war. The international community must clearly understand: participation in such programs is not education, not exchange, not cultural experience. It is direct involvement in war crimes.


The task of Ukraine and its partners is to expose these schemes, block their financing and logistical support, and prevent the involvement of new participants. Otherwise, the conveyor of war will only expand, absorbing more and more innocent lives.