Russian officials move Ukrainian inmates from Makiivka to central Russia
Prisoners from occupied Donetsk Oblast were relocated to strict-regime colonies in Tambov and Tyva, with some remaining behind for the winter.
By Layla Edwards ·
Russian authorities moved Ukrainian prisoners of war and political detainees from occupied Makiivka to prisons inside Russia.
The transfer began in August 2026. The first group to leave consisted of five Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian.
Vitalii Chmil, a soldier transferred in mid-August, was held in a pre-trial detention center in Krasnoyarsk.
He was later moved to strict-regime colony No. 1 in Kyzyl, located in the Tyva Republic near the Mongolian border.
Russian volunteers helped Chmil inform his relatives of his new location.
Other groups of Ukrainian political prisoners and criminal convicts were sent to strict-regime colony No. 1 in Tambov.
Some were also moved to strict-regime colony No. 5 in Morshansk, Tambov Oblast.
These inmates are now held alongside Russian convicts.
Several Ukrainian political prisoners remain in Makiivka penal colony No. 32.
Their final destinations are not yet known.
Approximately 100 to 120 convicts held in the settlement colony attached to No. 32 will stay in Makiivka through the winter.
About 35 Ukrainian political prisoners and servicemen were previously held in colony No. 32, including five soldiers on exchange lists. Most have been in captivity for seven to nine years. Russian courts sentenced them to terms of 10 to 17 years, citing charges of espionage, terrorism, and extremism. On October 23, 2026, two Ukrainian servicemen, Anatolii Kapitskyi and Serhii Heremes, returned from captivity via a prisoner swap. More than 30 Ukrainian prisoners from the colony remain on exchange lists and are still in captivity. The Makiivka colony administration cited a lack of funds for coal, water supply interruptions, and power outages in occupied Donetsk Oblast as reasons for the relocation. They also pointed to new Russian laws requiring those convicted of terrorism and extremism to serve sentences far from home. The vacated premises in Makiivka are being refitted, including the installation of CCTV cameras.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda
