Camilla Jessen
South Sudanese woman says she applied for a scholarship and ended up painting drones in a warzone.
Adau, a 23-year-old woman from South Sudan, says she was promised education and job training in Russia but ended up working in a drone factory that was later targeted by a Ukrainian airstrike.
She applied in 2023 for the “Alabuga Start” program, which advertised vocational scholarships for young women. It claimed to offer training in areas like logistics, catering, and technology.
When she arrived in Tatarstan, Russia, last March, she expected to train as a crane operator. Instead, she was sent directly to a drone assembly line.
“We were given uniforms and taken to a factory full of drones. Then we were split into workstations,” Adau told the BBC. “We were given no choice.”
A program under scrutiny
The Alabuga Start program has drawn international scrutiny for allegedly luring women from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia under false pretenses.
Some reports accuse it of labor trafficking and of paying far less than promised. South Africa has launched an investigation, and officials have urged young citizens not to enroll.
Adau says she signed a confidentiality agreement and was forbidden from telling her family what kind of work she was doing.
She ended up painting the outer shells of Shahed 136 drones — Iranian-designed drones now produced in Russia.
Harsh working conditions
The work conditions, she said, were dangerous. The chemicals used for painting burned her through her protective clothing.
“My skin was peeling off,” she said. “The suits didn’t stop the chemicals.”
On April 2, 2024, the area was targeted by a Ukrainian drone strike.
She says she woke to a fire alarm and saw drones flying overhead. Verified photos show significant damage to nearby dormitories.
“They told us all the stories about drones were lies from the West,” she said.
She resigned and returned home, but only after her family sent money for a ticket. Her promised salary of $600 a month turned out to be less than $100 after deductions.
“I felt horrible. I thought, ‘I am helping make weapons that kill people,’” she said.
