Despite years of sanctions and economic statecraft, Russia’s economy has proven remarkably resilient. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t deep cracks in Russia’s shaky economic foundation, just a thin layer. masking fast severe deficiency – Especially the workers.
Russia is in a desperate labor bind. The country’s population is shrinking and aging – a fact it ignores as it sends its youth into the grind of war in Ukraine. To generate military manpower, Russia has been creative, recruiting criminals from prisons, North Koreans, etc. mental health patientDespite this, as Russia’s military-industrial needs continue to grow rapidly, the endless need for new troops on the front lines has taken away from industry.
Russia now desperately needs to fill jobs on assembly lines making munitions, but it has a plan: exploit the Global South, including its so-called friends.
India, Brazil and South Africa are all BRICS members recruitment target Which appears to be forced labour. Russia issues a siren song to its citizens against which many young women are unable to steel themselves, with disastrous consequences.
For at least two years, the Russian company Alabuga Special Economic Zone has been wooing girls From developing countries with the promise of good jobs and educational opportunities. When they arrive, they are put to use in drone production. They are forced to work long hours with corrosive chemicals, with restricted communication and few or no rights. Women have faced sexual harassment and had “deductions” taken from their already low wages for things like rent.
Additionally, Russian military-industrial sites are also included. alabuga facilities – have been subject to Ukrainian attacks, putting women’s lives at risk – a risk to which he never consented.
International Forced Labor Convention of 1930 considers forced labor Work as “excluded…under threat of penalty and for which the person has not voluntarily offered himself.” United Nations Protocol on Trafficking in Persons Involved For the purpose of exploitation, workers are “recruited” through fraud, deception… in order to obtain the consent of a person who has control over another person. Alabuga SEZ may be guilty of both violations.
republic of tatarstan russia Owns and controls Alabuga SEZAlabuga also works closely with Russian diplomats and has Collect Iranian drone components for Russia’s military. Cultural Center of Russia in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, served As a launch pad for an appointment fair. A Russia House in Bangui, Central African Republic, hosted at least one interview with a program recruiter. Message Presents The recruitment initiative was called “the revival of Soviet cooperation with African countries and other regions”.
Alabuga also uses reliable data from partner states as a propaganda megaphone. In August, a South African influencer apologized To publicize the recruitment scheme online.
There are educational institutions in Uganda and Burkina Faso. hosted Alabuga Recruitment Drive; Economy-focused civil society organizations in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Madagascar have met with Alabuga officials; And diplomats from African and Latin American states have visited and some have promoted Alabuga sites.
Alabuga SEZ is targeted 84 countries are prioritizing recruitment in Africa and Latin America. Although some countries have spoken out about Russian labor fraud, it is too little, too late. South Africa’s warning and Investigationwhich began in August, has already done little to help the women forced into these sweatshops.
Russian recruiters also take advantage of the economic and political climate that makes labor fraud successful. For example, women aged 15 to 34 in South Africa face 48 percent unemployment rate – world’s worst Economic inequality was recorded – and political corruption became rife. Russia took advantage of this frustration, aimed at Women are less confrontational, easier to control, and less likely to get opportunities at home than men.
Alabuga SEZ and certain associated authorities and units, are already nominated The sanctions imposed by the US have not stopped them from recruiting workers. To stop this practice, the United States must take a more proactive approach to uprooting the financial roots of this international network. This should include consideration of secondary sanctions on actors outside Russia that aid Moscow’s desperate efforts to keep its assembly lines running – particularly those receiving funding for their propaganda efforts. America Can add this effort Its broader policy objective is to economically cripple Russia’s war machine.
Beyond financial penalties, the US should shine a light on Russian exploitation and lies, making it clear to its BRICS partners that Moscow’s friendship has strings attached.
It is possible to reach potential victims by publicly discussing the threat Identifying Deadly Recruitment Efforts On social media, platforms are being pressured to remove posts. meta And tiktok Community policies prohibit content that promotes such exploitation. In the process, the US will remind the Global South that the consequences of Russian aggression do not stop at Ukraine’s borders or even Europe’s doorstep.
Angela Howard is a research analyst at the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
