Shahed program killing Ukrainians is recruiting teenagers through sponsored influencer video — Russia calls it promising career

Mar 10, 2026 - 14:03

ap russia dupes african women making drones its war ukraine process manufacturing shahed-136 fuselage alabuga plant militarnyi production drone shahed 136

Russia engages underage children in the war against Ukraine. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation has reported a large-scale Russian propaganda campaign targeting teenagers, aimed at involving them in the production of Shahed strike drones.

Russia has deployed 57,000 Shahed drones across Ukraine since 2022. Russian forces regularly use these drones to strike cities, often launching hundreds at a time. A single Shahed costs about $20,000 to $50,000.

Each Russian drone carries over 50 kg of explosives, killing civilians in their homes.

Alabuga-Polytech College leads youth recruitment

The college, which trains specialists for assembling combat drones, released a series of promotional videos showing teenagers proudly stating that they:

Participate in a “mission vital for the country”
Earn high salaries
Present weapons production as an easy and promising career path

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, college administrators are also willing to pay influencers to promote these videos, turning propaganda into a commercially motivated tool.

“This practice demonstrates the cynicism of the Russian authorities. The Kremlin is deliberately involving teenagers in the production of tools of war… effectively turning them into ‘sellers of death,'" the agency says.

Weapons production framed as a profitable opportunity

Russia portrays work on the state military machine as a commercially attractive project, ignoring moral considerations that teenagers are involved in producing weapons used to kill Ukrainian civilians.

The propaganda portrays them as pursuing a prestigious career, rather than creating instruments of destruction

International exploitation: Africa and Asia as labor sources

The “Alabuga” economic zone also advertises positions for workers from African and Asian countries, offering high salaries and career growth.

“Despite rhetoric about combating colonialism and opposing the West, Russia reproduces colonial practices by exploiting vulnerable populations in Africa," says the center.

Overall, the Kremlin treats Africa as a source of resources, including human capital, while simultaneously enlisting teenagers to produce lethal technologies for the war against Ukraine.