Cyan Boujee Speaks Out on Career Damage After Russian Human Trafficking Programme Fallout
Cyan Boujee has spoken candidly about the impact of her involvement in the controversial Alabuga Start programme in Russia.
The campaign, which enlisted several influencers, drew widespread criticism after the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) issued a warning about overseas job offers being linked to human trafficking and exploitative conditions.
The matter remains under investigation.
Cyan admitted that her decision to participate came at a heavy cost, both personally and professionally.
“I feel like I’m a testimony for ladies to be careful,” she said during an interview on the L-Tido Podcast.
Also Read: “Arrest Her”: Cyan Boujee Sparks Outrage After Promoting Shady ‘Human Trafficking’ Russian Program
Career Setbacks and Public Scrutiny
According to Cyan, the fallout extended far beyond social media criticism. She revealed that she had been permanently banned from her TikTok account, a key platform for her career, and described the ordeal as emotionally draining.
“I lost a lot. I lost some dignity. I have a lot of anxiety. I lost my TikTok account. This is a huge learning curve for me. But more than anything, I’m a victim. Even if I’m sorry for not doing my homework and not being able to represent myself properly in the situation. I still believe I’m a victim and I hope that everyone else learns from this situation because it was bad for everyone, my team, my family. Everyone received backlash, not just me.”
She has since created a new account but said the public’s reaction showed how she is often unfairly cast as the villain.
“I’ve always been a villain in every situation. The Prince Kaybee situation, I was a victim. That was revenge porn. I was a victim. I needed the community to come together to stand for me. But in that situation I had people throwing things at me while I was performing.”
Concerns Raised in Russia
Reflecting further on her trip, Cyan shared a voice note she had sent to her publicist while still in Russia, in which she expressed unease about the programme. The initiative, based in Tatarstan, reportedly targeted women aged 18–22.
“More than anything, I’m worried about the kids. I’m worried so much about the kids because when I interviewed them most of them were not happy, especially with the answers they had to give on camera,” she said.
She recalled witnessing troubling behaviour and emotional distress among participants during the filming of promotional material.
“When I asked one of them how things were going, if she was happy with her accommodation and if her roommates were being nice to her, she just cried. I was in disbelief because she was not happy. We had to wait for so long for her to calm down so she could lie and say everything was good.
“I told them that if they were going to work with other influencers, they had to be legit.”