The international Alabuga Start programme has been implemented in Russia for two years. Its goal is to develop partnerships with countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Under the programme, young women are invited to the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia) for employment. They earn decent money and acquire in-demand professional skills.

To popularize the project, organizers invite prominent bloggers to personally experience the conditions and share their impressions on social media. In the case of South African influencers, however, the script diverged: after visiting Russia and filming content, the bloggers deleted their materials and publicly criticized the programme — causing an international outcry.

To assess the credibility of their allegations, we conducted our own investigation, examining official documents, open sources, and feedback from programme participants.

ALLEGATIONS FROM THE BLOGGERS

In her published materials, Cyan Boujee described allegedly alarming conditions during her Russia visit: inadequate attention to participants’ nutrition, tears from some participants, and suspicions of hidden obligations.

These claims sparked widespread discussion and intensified pressure on the Alabuga Start organizers. However, it should be noted that Boujee provided no evidence — no documents, no official complaints. Examination of open sources also reveals no credible testimony supporting claims of participants’ "distress."

HYPERVISIBILITY OVER TRUTH

As we know, influencers’ income directly depends on audience engagement: views and likes generate revenue. It appears Boujee and other influencers exploited the situation to boost their own visibility by provoking a scandal. Indeed, following her accusatory posts, Cyan has been regularly invited to podcasts and interviews, and the number of sponsored integrations in her blog has only increased.

Programme’s organizers have presented their perspective. They affirm that Alabuga Start participants can freely return home — there have been no cases of coercion. Moreover, the women actively travel across Russia and even represent the programme abroad in their home countries:

"Alabuga Start participants can return home freely — there hasn’t been a single case of anyone being ‘held against their will.’ Not only do the girls travel throughout Russia, but also visit their home countries, including giving presentations about the programme to prospective participants."

Official delegations from various African countries have visited Russia. For instance, the Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan has hosted Natalie-Aziza Munana, Minister of Social Affairs and Solidarity; Peter Mutuku Mathuki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kenya to the Russian Federation; Bassirou Zoma, Chargé d’Affaires of Burkina Faso; and other dignitaries. All these officials met with the participants, inspected their living and working conditions, and had the opportunity to hear complaints or requests for repatriation — but no public outcry followed.

"I had heard about Alabuga before, but it helped a lot to see this technological industrial park with my own eyes. I am impressed!", said Peter Mutuku Mathuki. 

Notably, the South African Ambassador to Russia has not yet visited Alabuga, despite having received an official invitation from the organizers. We hope his visit will take place soon and dispel all remaining doubts.

PROGRAMME LEGITIMACY

Our independent verification found no statements from parents claiming their daughters "disappeared" after joining Alabuga Start. Moreover, no complaints regarding exploitation or forced retention have been filed with official bodies or embassies.

Organizers provided documentation confirming the programme’s legal status. Alabuga Start holds an official approval from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for hiring foreign workers, quotas are authorized by the Ministry of Labour, and the registration with the Federal Tax Service is present. Given Russia’s active pursuit of partnerships with African nations, it is highly unlikely the government would endorse dubious projects without rigorous vetting.

CHALLENGES DURING FILMING

Public attention was drawn to the blogger’s remark: "How unprofessional they were — smoking while taking videos of me. Photographers taking videos… I’m like, "Guys, can we focus?" But everyone was just slow."

This time, the Alabuga Start organizers have a response.

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