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 May 5