Key facts
- Russia plans to build seven large-scale prison complexes by 2035.
- One new complex is planned for occupied Kherson Oblast.
- The facilities will have a combined capacity of over 20,000 people.
- Each complex is expected to cost 13 billion to 20 billion rubles.
- New detention centers in occupied Crimea are reportedly used to unlawfully detain Ukrainian civilians.
- Ukraine's human rights ombudsman estimates Russia unlawfully holds about 16,000 Ukrainian civilians.
Russian authorities are planning a significant expansion of their detention infrastructure, including the construction of a new large-scale prison complex in occupied Kherson Oblast. This initiative is part of a broader program to build seven such facilities across Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories by 2035, with a combined capacity for over 20,000 individuals. The complexes are designed to integrate pretrial detention centers with penal colonies of varying security levels.
The Moscow Times, citing a Russian government program, reported that apart from occupied Kherson Oblast, new complexes are slated for Kaluga, Astrakhan, and Tyumen oblasts, Buryatia, and Zabaykalsky Krai. The first facility is anticipated to open in Tatarstan by 2030. Each complex is estimated to cost between 13 billion and 20 billion rubles (approximately $154 million to $237 million).
Russia's Justice Ministry projects that consolidating detention and penal facilities could reduce holding costs by 25-30%, potentially allowing the projects to recoup their investment within a decade. Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko stated that the new complexes would incorporate modern engineering and IT systems, aiming to improve working conditions for staff and provide inmates with access to work, education, and medical services.
These construction plans emerge amid ongoing reports of Russia expanding its detention infrastructure in occupied Ukrainian territories. An investigation by The Kyiv Independent found that two new pretrial detention centers in occupied Crimea are allegedly being used to unlawfully detain Ukrainian civilians. Former detainees have reported experiencing severe abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, denial of medical care, and prolonged detention without formal charges, legal access, or family contact. One of these facilities is reportedly operated by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, while the other has been under the direct control of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) since March 2026. Russia has also utilized occupied Crimea as a hub for detaining civilians from occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts since the full-scale invasion began. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, estimates that approximately 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are being unlawfully held in about 200 detention sites across Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories, with only a few hundred having been returned.