“It Hurts Me”: South African Influencer Apologises for Promoting Controversial Russian Program

• A South African influencer apologised for promoting a Russian program that allegedly misled young Africans into assembling drones for Ukraine and more
• The content creator expressed regret and admitted that his team failed to detect red flags despite thorough vetting processes
• The controversy has sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising the influencer's apology and others questioning how his team missed the warning signs

A South African influencer has expressed deep regret after unknowingly promoting a controversial Russian initiative, the Alabuga Start programme, which has come under fire for allegedly misleading young Africans.

Young women in Africa were lured in through help from content creators to join the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia. According to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, around 200 African women aged 18 to 22 were recruited via social media to work in a Russian factory assembling drones for Ukraine.

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The women were unaware they would be making weapons until after arrival. They allegedly experienced labour rights violations, including long hours, surveillance, lower wages, difficulties leaving, restrictions on media, and health and safety violations.

The South African government is currently looking into the actions and intentions of Russian corporations, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, Business Tech reported.

Influencer regrets promoting Russian programme in emotional video

The young content creator who goes by the TikTok handle @sashadomnikoff jumped on his social media platform in an emotional video, where he apologised to his followers and admitted that despite strict vetting processes, he and his team failed to detect potential red flags.

@sashadomnikoff explained that he usually accepts brand deals only after his three managers have conducted thorough checks to avoid scams.

“I promote companies like this as the last promotion. You will see other creators promoting it first, and then I will be the last person to promote it. Why do we do this? Because I’ve been in a situation before where I promoted a scam, so I made sure I have good lawyers and a strong management team around me,” he said in the clip.

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Despite these precautions, he admitted the Alabuga deal slipped through. According to him, the project appeared legitimate because other creators had already been on-site and filmed content there.

“It hurts me to see people take advantage of us, especially when we are not aware of such things. I told my team this was just another brand deal, and we went ahead and shot the film. My team always does background checks so we can avoid scams. It breaks my heart," he added.

The TikTokker @sashadomnikoff further revealed that it took him two months to complete the promotional content, only to later discover the controversy. Fighting back tears, he said,

“It hurts me that people can use us like that. I’ve worked hard to build my name for so long. I would never knowingly waste people’s time on something like this.”

He concluded by apologising to his fans and vowing to exercise even stricter caution in future collaborations. The video, posted on 25 August 2025 on TikTok, gained massive traction, igniting mixed reactions from South African viewers and beyond.

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Watch the video below:

Mzansi weighs in on the Russian program

The online community took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the Russian program and more by saying:

Sharon said:

"Three managers failed to do research. This thing has been trending since 2024, and three managers failed to see that haii."

Hloni added:

"Proper apology so far, and I really respect you for that, bro."

Malethabo expressed:

"Personally, I don’t think any influencer would promote such things, guys. They also had no idea and are trying as much as they can to solve it."

Mr Chillout wrote:

"For my cousin to return safely home."

Maso commented:

"You did background checks, you mean there were no suspicious activities at all? This is scary and crazy, ngl."

According to the Russian Embassy in South Africa's Facebook post, media reports about the Alabuga Start programme have been misrepresented. The Embassy stated that there is no credible information supporting claims of human trafficking or exploitation linked to the programme.

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It described the allegations as unfounded and suggested they stem from biased reporting. The Embassy also highlighted that the list of residents in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone is publicly available on its official website, and the programme itself includes feedback from participants, showing transparency and legitimacy.

More on influencers involved in the Russian program and kidnapping

• Briefly News reported that influencer and club DJ Cyan Boujee is being investigated after promoting an opportunity for young South African women to travel to Russia.
• South Africans called out influencers who were part of a Russian campaign that targeted young women from poor backgrounds.
• The high rate of unemployment in South Africa has become a large contributing factor in the luring of nearly 200 people to Asia.

Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Source: Briefly News