Commentary of the Embassy on Alabuga SEZ

The Kenyan press has turned its attention to the subject of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Alabuga. The articles published by the Nation Group, with the references to the report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crimes (GIATO) on how African girls are allegedly forced to work in factories in the Republic of Tatarstan, seem to be a part of the massive anti-Russian narrative that has been recently circulating widely across African media, promoted by the West-paid authors and so-called investigators.

Unfortunately, the official commentary of the Russian Embassy in Nairobi in response to the media house’s request was cowardly ignored by the authors and were not taken into account amid the preparation of the publication. However, we are still eager to share our vision of the situation.

The Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), established in 2006 in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, hosts the Alabuga Start international program for the employment of young specialists in Russia. Young people from all over the world are recruited for various programs, where they undergo a full cycle of training, including a practical part, receive real skills and employment opportunities. The official website of the Alabuga Start program can provide you with more official information about its enrollment programs (https://startworld.alabuga.ru/).

Today Russia, and especially its dynamically developing relations with Africa, has become the object of a large-scale disinformation campaign. Western countries, which realize that their position in the world is becoming increasingly precarious, are resorting to various, sometimes the most despicable, tools. Thus, we have come across such materials and “investigations” mainly by Western and West-supported media, which allegedly reveal the facts about the fate of African women in the Alabuga SEZ more than once. But we have clear evidence that all this fuss – false accusations that young girls undergoing the program work and live in slave-like conditions, have no opportunity to move and speak freely, are forced to work in harmful drone production and even engage in prostitution – is just an attempt to once again blacken Russia's image in Africa.

If you pay attention, all these loud statements and accusations come from the West. What a surprise. However, in the African media space one can easily find publication with a complete opposite narrative, suggesting refutations and disproof (https://westafricaweekly.com/alabuga-truth-a-western-disinformation-operation-in-focus/).

The Alabuga SEZ has already been targeted several times by Ukrainian drones. The aim remains the same – to discredit Russia by accusing it of endangering the lives of Africans by allegedly keeping them there by force. But there is a rebuttal to this, too. After the first drone attack on a dormitory in Alabuga in April 2024, a young student from Kenya gave a comment to the Russian media (https://m.business-gazeta.ru/news/628700). According to her, this was a clear but failed attempt to intimidate students.

The Kenyan Embassy in Moscow is also in constant contact with the Alabuga SEZ representatives. On July 19, 2024, the Embassy published a press-release (screenshot attached) about a meeting of the then Charge d’Affaires of the mission with Alabuga SEZ Deputy Project Manager. Moreover, the Kenyan Embassy sees a clear benefit from the participation of young Kenyans in this program and proposes to expand the enrollment. The embassy can give more details and arguments about their position independently.

As always, we encourage authors and readers to think critically, check sources of information, and gather different perspectives to derive a verifiable and accurate picture.