“They Lied to Africans”: Alleged Satellite Video of Russian Factory Alabuga Resurfaces, SA Stunned

• A young man has shared a video alleging that Russia has been recruiting African workers to build drones for the war in Ukraine, under the guise of work-study programmes
• The disturbing video was shared on TikTok, where it was widely viewed and debated by a stunned online community
• Social media users were devastated by the claims, with many questioning why the information was not more widely known and tagging celebrities who had promoted the programmes

A young man caused a stir online after sharing a video containing serious allegations about Russia's recruitment of Africans for drone-making.

The clip, shared by TikTok user @adrianciscato0, garnered massive views, likes, and comments from social media users who debated the allegations.

The man's video starts with a shocking revelation that Africans were allegedly recruited by Russia to build drones for war in Ukraine. To prove his point, he used satellite imagery. The images showed an image taken in November 2021, a few months before the invasion, with vacant yellow spaces. The man said these were later used to house the African drone makers.

Read also

“It hurts me”: South African influencer apologises for promoting controversial Russian program

Russia's alleged work scholarship exposed

A later satellite image, dated September 2024, showed many buildings in the same spots, which he claimed was an estate for international workers, including Africans. He said the drones were being used in Ukraine by thousands. He later shared that 200 young African women were promised a work-study programme, but many ended up working in drone factories under harsh conditions, assembling Iranian-designed drones.

In his video caption, he wrote that the programmes were endorsed by the Ugandan and Ethiopian education ministries under the false pretence of offering job skills. He noted that human rights groups were now saying that if these allegations are true, they could amount to labour trafficking.

South Africans express shock over the allegations

The video sparked a massive online debate, with many users who saw the initial post in late 2024 wondering why they didn't believe the young man when he first shared the information. Many expressed shock that the video had not been seen by influencers who were busy marketing these study programmes. Some were devastated for the young people who were allegedly taken, saying that if the video were made in 2024, the truth would surely be known. Others expressed outrage and tagged several celebrities who had promoted the scholarships, saying they were irresponsible for not doing proper research.

Read also

"We love everybody": American man living in Jozi prefers SA's petty crime over life in US, SA moved

User @Natiey asked:

"So @S.eemah_ did not stumble upon this video while doing her research? Wow, it’s crazy what people would do to secure the bag."

User @Priscilla shared:

"Yoh. So we all researched the alabuga program and within 10 mins realised there’s no way the influencers did their research? 😩😭 I’m so upset!"

User @Buddie added:

"Alabuga paid our South African influencers to lie to us."

Pan-Africanist🇿🇦 commented:

"I'm disappointed in the fact that Russian officials never said anything about this💔 I'm starting to believe every white country hates one particular race. I didn't expect this blow from Russia."

User @thehomeruler said:

"They lied to the Africans ( girls aged 18/22). It’s a trafficking ring."

User @Nthabi_M asked:

"Why did we ignore this boy, mara South Africans? We thought he was just talking because he had lips."

Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Briefly News articles about study programmes

Read also

A content creator carried out a social experiment by pretending to be homeless at a busy intersection

• A woman completed a 12-month tech course and secured a junior Full Stack Developer job at a major bank in the country.
• A woman in the mining industry shared short courses that many can study to secure jobs in her field, earning praise online.
• A woman shared information about discounted short courses available for Capitec Bank clients, and many thanked her for the helpful plug.

Source: Briefly News