Students in Tatarstan Forced to Assemble 'Shahed' Drones

Students in Tatarstan are being forced to assemble 'Shahed' drones. This was reported by DW.

According to students' accounts, several hundred of them are involved in the assembly of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles, while other projects at the Alabuga Polytechnic College are gradually being sidelined.

As mentioned in a joint investigation by the YouTube channels 'Протокол' and 'РЗВРТ', underage students at the Alabuga Polytechnic College in the Alabuga special economic zone of Tatarstan are engaged in the assembly of Shahed drones, facing threats of fines and expulsion if they refuse work.

The investigation indicates that these are teenagers aged 15 to 17 who have enrolled in college after completing 9th grade at school. It is reported that several hundred of the approximately 1,000 students at the Alabuga Polytechnic College are involved in the assembly of kamikaze drones. In return for their work, students receive a monthly salary of 30,000 to 40,000 rubles and are often forced to work without breaks.

Additionally, students are prohibited from disclosing information about production; they risk being fined between 1.5 to 2 million rubles, according to the authors of the investigation.

Another student noted that all those involved in the drone production are required to surrender their phones to Alabuga's security services before starting work, which scrutinizes their correspondence. This has reportedly led to numerous expulsions for information leakage.

The Alabuga Polytechnic College was founded in 2021, and its director is Timur Shagivaleev, a member of the State Council of Tatarstan.