Russia Plans Seven New 'Superprisons' Despite War Recruitment Emptying Jails

According to Euronews, Russian authorities are moving forward with plans to construct seven new 'superprisons' designed to hold more than 20,000 inmates by 2035. This infrastructure expansion includes a facility slated for the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson. The announcement comes even as Russia's broader penal population has experienced a dramatic decline, dropping from roughly 465,000 in 2021 to 282,000. This decrease has been driven largely by the systematic recruitment of inmates as contract soldiers to fight in the ongoing war in Ukraine. From a European perspective, the construction of penal facilities in occupied Ukrainian territory represents another contentious administrative integration by Moscow, drawing sharp condemnation from international human rights monitors and European Union policymakers. The stark contrast between a shrinking inmate population and the commissioning of high-capacity superprisons highlights the militarised priorities of the Russian state, as well as its long-term domestic security strategies amid international isolation and ongoing regional conflict. For citizens, businesses, and policymakers tracking the region, these developments signal that Moscow is heavily investing in internal repression and the consolidation of control over occupied territories well into the next decade. Observers will be closely monitoring how these penal infrastructure projects progress toward their 2035 timeline, alongside any further shifts in Russian domestic penal policy and military recruitment drives.

Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗