Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation were arrested immediately after their release

Ukrainian prisoners who were forcibly taken to Russia from the occupied territories are detained immediately after their release for violating the migration legislation. The New York Times writes about it. The newspaper quotes the comments of prisoners from Kherson and the Kherson region who were transferred to Russian prisons when the region was under the control of Russian troops.

The prisoners report that during the occupation they were transported to the territory of Russia and the annexed Crimea to serve the remainder of their term. However, after the expiration of the terms, many of them were detained immediately after their release. The Russian police charged them with illegal presence on the territory of the country. Those released were fined and sent to deportation centers.

Former prisoner Ruslan Osadchiy, who served time for murder, said that after his release, the police asked him how he got into Russia. Osadchiy replied that the Russian forces brought him under convoy. “They did not understand that we are citizens of another country and have no relation to Russia,” Osadchenko said.

Former prisoners reported that they were beaten in Russian and Crimean prisons. They were offered Russian citizenship, but most refused. They also saw recruiters of PMC “Wagner” in Russian prisons, but they showed no interest in recruiting Ukrainian citizens.

According to the convicts, after the start of hostilities in Kherson and the region, in at least one correctional colony, prisoners were abandoned almost to their fate. Lyudmila Denisova, the former Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine, agreed with this. “The war is going on, there was no time for prisoners,” she said.

The Russian authorities do not recognize the forced transfer of Ukrainian prisoners. It can be considered a war crime. International law prohibits forced deportation of people from occupied zones. Russian officials did not respond to requests from The New York Times journalists.

According to the Ukrainian side, about 3,500 Ukrainian prisoners were taken to Russia, approximately 2,500 of them from prisons and colonies in Kherson and the region.