South Africa has started investigating Russian companies’ widening recruitment of young women from African countries to manufacture drones, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

The Alabuga factory in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan is a major supplier of drones for the Russian military, producing as many as 200 Iranian-style Shahed drones per month that are then used in the country’s war on Ukraine.

The factory has been recruiting young women from dozens of poorer countries with promises of high salaries, education and career opportunities.

But many of those who arrive are assigned to assemble drones later used in strikes on Ukraine, according to local media reports and Western researchers.

South Africa’s government is now investigating Russian companies’ actions and what their intentions are, Bloomberg’s source said.

Officials in Pretoria may summon Russian diplomats for explanations, the source added.

“The South African government is actively investigating reports of foreign programs that recruit South Africans under false pretenses,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation told Bloomberg. “The South African government is yet to find any credible evidence that job offers in Russia are inconsistent with their stated purpose. However, the government has noted the alleged recruitment of youth by the Alabuga company.”