South Africa warns women against Russian job offers circulating on social media

Bloomberg reported the information.

"The so-called work opportunities advertised on social media for positions in Russia are not facilitated with any government intervention. We urge our young people to be vigilant," the ministry stated.

The agency notes that this warning came after claims that Russian firms, including one accused of luring young women into drone factory jobs, are now targeting South African workers.

According to the report, Alabuga Start, the recruitment arm of Russia’s Alabuga special economic zone, is actively seeking South African women aged 18–22 to build UAVs used in attacks on Ukraine.

"The Embassy has taken note of the growing concerns around the Alabuga Start program, triggered by the Bloomberg article. The embassy has no information, apart from that spread through some biased outlets, of foreign nationals being subjected to forced labor, tricked into some actions, or otherwise experiencing violation of their rights in the course of the program," Russia stated.

Meanwhile, last week, the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it was aware of the Alabuga program and "is actively investigating reports of foreign programs that recruit South Africans under false pretenses."

• Earlier reports indicated that the Russian program Alabuga Start, which allegedly offers vocational training to young women from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, is actually using them to produce drones at military factories in Tatarstan for the war against Ukraine. 

• In late July, CNN reported that satellite images show a sharp acceleration of construction at the Alabuga plant in southern Russia, where Shahed-type drones are produced.