Ukraine moves Makiivka prisoners to Russia

Russian authorities transferred Ukrainian prisoners of war and political detainees from occupied Makiivka to facilities inside Russia. The move affects men held in penal colony No. 32 in Donetsk Oblast.

Transfers began in August 2026. The first group consisted of five Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian political prisoner. By late October, most of the approximately 35 detainees held in the colony had been relocated. A small group remains in Makiivka pending further movement.

The detainees were moved to two primary locations. Some were placed in strict-regime penal colony No. 1 in Tambov, where they were housed alongside Russian convicts. Another group was sent to strict-regime colony No. 5 in Morshansk, also within Tambov Oblast. Ukrainian prisoner Vitalii Chmil, who left Makiivka in mid-August, was initially held in Krasnoyarsk before moving to colony No. 1 in Kyzyl, Tyva Republic.

Russian officials cited three reasons for the relocation. The administration of the Makiivka colony pointed to a lack of funds for coal and frequent power and water outages in the occupied region. Russian law now requires those convicted of terrorism and extremism to serve sentences far from their home regions. The administration also stated that the Makiivka facilities did not meet Russian standards.

The vacated Makiivka site is undergoing renovation. Workers are installing CCTV cameras in the formerly occupied blocks. About 100 to 120 convicts held in a settlement colony attached to the site will remain in Makiivka through the winter.

Most of the transferred men have been in captivity for seven to nine years. Russian courts sentenced them to terms ranging from 10 to 17 years, citing charges of espionage, terrorism, and extremism. On October 23, 2026, two Ukrainian servicemen, Anatolii Kapitskyi and Serhii Heremes, returned home through a prisoner swap. Over 30 other detainees from the colony remain on exchange lists but are still in custody.