Russian authorities are distributing promotional and recruitment materials for the Alabuga Polytechnic Institute in schools in Kyrgyzstan. One brochure urges students to “join the best.” A photo of young men dressed in military uniforms promises to “train [the students] to become the best drone assembly specialists for the needs of the Russian army.”
Samira was about to send her 16-year-old daughter from her home in Chui, northern Kyrgyzstan, to study at a prestigious school in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. What she didn’t know was that the school, Alabuga Polytechnic Institute — a technical institution located in the Alabuga free economic zone — was producing combat drones used in Russian air strikes against Ukraine. “I thought it was a regular vocational education program,” Samira — who asked that her name be changed — told Radio Free Europe. “But when I learned about the school’s ties to the military and drone production, I was shocked.”
“RUSSIA NEEDS YOU”
Russian authorities are distributing promotional and recruitment materials for the Alabuga Polytechnic Institute in schools in Kyrgyzstan. One brochure urges students to “join the best.” A photo of young men in military uniform promises to “train [the students] to become the best drone assembly specialists for the needs of the Russian army.” The front page of the brochure features a drone, along with the pro-Russian military symbols “Z” and “V.” A month ago, according to media reports, brochures for the Alabuga Polytechnic Institute were also distributed to schools in neighboring Kazakhstan.
It wasn’t just the brochures. This spring, recruiters from the Alabuga Polytechnic visited schools in northern Kyrgyzstan. Students as young as 14 are being invited to apply, something that has raised concerns among parents. The recruitment includes both sexes, along with promises of a high-tech education, career development opportunities, and monthly salaries or scholarships ranging from 30 rubles ($382) to 70 rubles, are serving to attract young people.
The Alabuga special economic zone also appears to have recruited students through an online game called Business Cats, where players raise and trade virtual cats, simulating entrepreneurship and developing business skills. According to authorities in Alabuga, the game was “a program for financial and entrepreneurial skills for students, and the game is accessible not only in Russia, but also in other former Soviet republics.” Local teachers in Kyrgyzstan reportedly promoted the game via WhatsApp.
LINKS WITH THE ARMY ARE CONFIRMED
On April 2, 2024, a Ukrainian drone attack on the Alabuga free economic zone injured seven people, including minors. Additional attacks were carried out later that year, on April 23 and June 15, with the latter attack killing two people and wounding 13 others. Ukrainian military officials later confirmed that the attacks had targeted drone facilities, which were being used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure. Officials described Alabuga as a “legitimate military target.”
Russia has also acknowledged that drones are being manufactured in Alabuga. In July, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Zvezda television channel confirmed that Shahed-136 drones, designed in Iran and branded domestically as Geran, are being mass-produced in the Alabuga special economic zone. The program showcased the scale of the assembly operations, which involve college students.
According to Zvezda, Timur Shagivaleyev, director of the Alabuga special economic zone, said that a factory is producing “thousands” of drones with the help of students from the Alabuga Polytechnic. Footage showed young workers, many of whom appeared to be teenagers, operating machinery and assembling parts. “Hundreds of machines, thousands of workers, and everywhere you look – young people,” the program’s host said. “Boys and girls work here and study at the same time.”
CHILDREN TRAVEL ALONE
Parents like Samira were alarmed when they were told their children would be flying alone to Russia, unaccompanied by an adult or government representative. “That’s when I started to worry,” Samira said. “They were asking for my daughter’s travel documents, her ID, and even offered to buy her a plane ticket.” One of the recruiters, she said, sent her messages repeatedly on Telegram. “They kept calling. When I stopped answering, they called me again and again,” Samira said.
Myrza Karimov, an education expert in Kyrgyzstan, has spoken publicly about the situation. “If our Ministry of Education has made an agreement, then someone from the ministry should accompany the group and hand them over to the other side,” Karimov said. “Because the children are under 18, it is not right to send them and assume that they will be received on the other side. Even when underage students participate in various international sports events, they are always accompanied by a state representative.” Several Kyrgyz parents have already sent their children to Alabuga. Kazybek, a resident of Chui — who asked not to be named — told Radio Free Europe that his son traveled to Alabuga on July 15, adding that the school covered the cost of the flight.
“My son told me that there are now 21 students from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries. He hasn’t started official classes yet. They are just playing paintball and patriotic military-style games,” he said. Kazybek added that he has signed documents releasing the school from liability in case students get injured during these activities. “They said it’s not a real war, just a simulation,” he stressed.
HOW INVOLVED IS THE KYRGYZ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION?
Dinara Bektasheva, a senior official at the Ministry of Education, confirmed that representatives of the Alabuga Polytechnic have been visiting schools in Kyrgyzstan since 2023. “They did this independently,” she said. “We did not participate in the visits to the schools.” However, Mirlan Toktobekov, the principal of a school in the city of Tokmok in the Chui Region, said that when three representatives from Alabuga visited in April, “we were ordered from above to allow them into our school.” He added that two students took part in the recruitment campaign, one of whom advanced and applied to enroll.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Education has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. The agreement promotes technical and professional cooperation and supports the employment of Kyrgyz citizens within the zone.
Bektasheva said that 58 Kyrgyz students are currently enrolled at Alabuga, but denied that the school produces drones. “There is a lot of misinformation,” she said. For most families, the school’s teachers were the main source of information about the Alabuga Polytechnic. A parent from Tokmok, whose daughter passed the recruitment tests and will travel to Alabuga, said: “We trusted the teachers. They told us that their children were going there.” It is the dubious recruitment process that worries education expert Karimov.
“If children are truly being recruited based on a memorandum signed by our Ministry of Education, then this should be made public,” he added. (REL)