Adau, a 23-year-old from South Sudan, thought she was embarking on a life-changing opportunity when she signed up for the Alabuga Start programme in Russia. Promised professional training in logistics, catering, and hospitality, she was instead thrust into the harsh reality of working in a drone factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. Adau’s story is not unique; the programme, which targets young women from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, has been accused of deceptive recruitment practices and exploiting workers in dangerous conditions.