Kathrine Frich
Russia is accelerating efforts to replenish its drone arsenal.
Investigations by independent outlets suggest that teenagers are now part of the workforce assembling attack drones used on the front line.
Iranian drones
According to The Independent, citing reporting from Militarnyi as well as investigations by the NGO Protokol and Russian outlet Razvorot, a large-scale production line has been established in Alabuga, in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.
The facility manufactures Iranian-designed Shahed drones, rebranded in Russia as Geran-1 and Geran-2, which have been widely used in strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure since late 2022.
Teen labor claims
The investigation links production to “Alabuga Polytech College,” described publicly as a technical training institution but reportedly operating outside standard educational frameworks.
Promotional materials shared on social media advertise high salaries for students, promising up to 100,000 rubles in the first year and significantly more in later years.
However, Protokol and Razvorot report that some teenagers aged 15 to 17 work up to 12 hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, to help meet a target of 200 drones per month. The reports describe demanding conditions behind the recruitment campaign.
State backing
The project is reportedly overseen by Alexei Florov, director of the drone manufacturer Albatross LLC.
According to the investigation, the initiative received funding worth $530 million from Russia’s state-owned VTB bank, suggesting direct state involvement in expanding drone output.
Russia has not publicly confirmed the use of underage workers in military production.
Foreign workforce plans
Amid reported labor shortages, Moscow is also considering bringing in up to 12,000 North Korean workers to support factories in Alabuga, according to the same sources.
A meeting on the matter allegedly took place at Russia’s Foreign Ministry in October 2025, involving representatives from both countries and North Korea’s Jihyang Technology Trade Company, which is said to be handling recruitment.
The Shahed drones, first deployed in Ukraine in autumn 2022, have been used in repeated attacks on energy facilities, logistics hubs and, at times, residential areas.
Sources: L’Independent, Militarnyi, Protokol, Razvorot
