In October, The Associated Press reported that women from Africa, largely Central and East African countries, were recruited via social media to work in a factory in Russia assembling drones to be launched in Ukraine

Around 200 women from Africa were employed in a factory in Tatarstan’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, working alongside Russian vocational students (some as young as 15), in the weapons factory. The women often did not realise they would be making weapons until after arrival; during recruitment they were told that they would be joining a work-study program in fields such as hospitality.

In the factory, the women experienced labour rights violations, including long hours, surveillance, lower wages than those promised to them, difficulties leaving the factory, restrictions on talking to the media or other “outsiders” about their work, and occupation health and safety violations, including working with chemicals that injured their skin.

The Associated Press also analysed “hundreds of videos” of the online recruitment programme targeting the African women, called “Alabuga Start”. The recruitment drive has been done on social media through videos and the hiring of influencers, including on TikTok, Facebook (part of Meta) and Telegram.

In November, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Meta, Telegram and TikTok to respond to the article, and to disclose whether they have identified the ‘Alabuga Start’ scheme being advertised on their pages, whether they determine these contravene community guidelines, and how they are responding to the emerging trend of recruitment from Africa to Russian weapons factories. TikTok and Meta’s responses can be read in full below. Telegram did not respond.