Ukraine moves prisoners from occupied Makiivka to Russian penal colonies

Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilian political detainees, and criminal convicts have begun leaving a penal colony in occupied Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. The transfers to Russian territory started in August 2026. The first group to depart included five Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian political prisoner.

According to the Novyny Donbasu news outlet, some detainees were moved to strict-regime penal colony No. 1 in the city of Tambov. These prisoners are now held alongside Russian convicts serving sentences in the same facility. Another group was sent to strict-regime colony No. 5 in the town of Morshansk, located in Tambov Oblast.

Vitalii Chmil, a Ukrainian prisoner of war transferred from Makiivka in mid-August, has been placed in strict-regime colony No. 1 in Kyzyl. This facility is in the Tyva Republic, near Russia's border with Mongolia. He was initially held in a pre-trial detention centre in Krasnoyarsk before his final transfer. Russian volunteers helped Chmil inform his relatives of his current location.

The administration of Makiivka penal colony No. 32 cited winter conditions as a primary reason for the relocation. Officials stated they lack funds to purchase coal for heating. They also pointed to water supply interruptions and power outages in the occupied region. The move is also tied to new Russian legislation requiring those convicted of terrorism and extremism to serve time far from home. The colony's facilities were described as not meeting current Russian standards.

Approximately 35 Ukrainian political prisoners and servicemen were held in colony No. 32 before the transfers began. Five of these soldiers were on exchange lists. Most of the detainees had been in captivity for seven to nine years. Russian courts sentenced them to terms of 10 to 17 years on charges of espionage, terrorism, and extremism.

About 100 to 120 convicts held in the settlement colony attached to No. 32 will remain in Makiivka for the winter. Several Ukrainian political prisoners are still waiting in Makiivka for their transfer, though their specific destinations are not yet known. The vacated areas in colony No. 32 are being refitted, with the installation of CCTV cameras underway.

Two Ukrainian servicemen returned home from this colony on October 23, 2026, during a prisoner swap. Anatolii Kapitskyi had been captured in 2020. Serhii Heremes had been in captivity since 2018. More than 30 Ukrainian prisoners from colony No. 32 remain in captivity on exchange lists.