Alabuga Special Economic Zone

Rule Changes

Russia's main Shahed-style drone assembly site; under US, EU, and UK sanctions

Russia recruits women from Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America with promises of catering and hospitality work, then puts most of them on a Shahed drone assembly line in Tatarstan. On May 5, 2026, the United Kingdom became the first country to apply its human-trafficking sanctions regime to that pipeline, designating 35 people and entities tied to the Alabuga Start programme and to firms in Russia, China, and Thailand that supply drone components.

Updated 2 hours ago