Putin's war machine tied to troubling recruitment of young women as new deals emerge

Detailed summary

Two African governments signed deals with Russia's Alabuga drone factory zone as a Ukrainian probe alleges deceptive recruitment of young African women.

Ukrainian investigator Solomiya Khoma tells Fox News Digital how alleged recruiters and Russian cultural groups draw young African women into Russia’s military-industrial workforce as new agreements with African governments raise concerns.

Two African governments have signed new agreements with a Russian industrial complex linked to the production of attack drones used against Ukraine, even as a Ukrainian investigation alleges Moscow is expanding a recruitment network that draws young African women into its military-industrial workforce.

The agreements, signed in late October by Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone, come months after Britain sanctioned individuals and entities associated with the Alabuga Start program over deceptive recruitment practices. The new partnerships raise questions about whether Russia's efforts to attract foreign workers could help sustain drone production as its war against Ukraine continues.

The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre says it has obtained internal documents identifying approximately 50 African women employed at Alabuga, alongside 10 Russian recruiters and two African intermediaries allegedly involved in attracting foreign workers.

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The remains of a Russian-made, Iran-designed Shahed-136 drone, known in Russia as a Geran-2, are displayed with other recovered drones, glide bombs, missiles and rockets in Kharkiv on July 30, 2025. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)

"What we were able to do is basically to obtain internal documentation," Solomiya Khoma, the organization's head of international cooperation, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

Khoma said the investigation went beyond previous reporting by attempting to establish how recruitment operates across borders, connecting Russian cultural organizations, local intermediaries and Alabuga's human resources department.

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