Russia offers students lavish pay for assembling Shahed drones
Shahed drone on display at the UK Parliament (Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville)
Russian students assembling Shahed kamikaze drones at the Alabuga
facility can earn up to RUB500,000 ($6,800) per month, Elvira Fomina, head
of the Alabuga Polytechnic College, said on June 5.
She made the statement during a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which was quickly picked up by Russian pro-Kremlin bloggers and influencers.
The panel was hosted by Tina Kandelaki, deputy CEO of Gazprom‑Media. Kandelaki reacted enthusiastically to Fomina’s comment and asked, “How do I apply?”
Journalists noted the pay offers have risen sharply: students were paid about RUB30,000 for the work in 2022, were promised RUB70,000 at the start of 2025, and as recently as a few months ago maximum pay was reported at RUB350,000.
The college is located in the Alabuga special economic zone
in Tatarstan. Hundreds of its students are involved in producing Russian
versions of Iran’s Shahed drone. The college grounds expanded by about 340
hectares in a year, and at least 10 anti‑aircraft towers have been erected
there.
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