The Russian military, preparing to retreat from Kherson, abducted more than 2,500 Ukrainian prisoners from local penitentiaries. After that, they were distributed among the colonies of Russia. The New York Times writes about this, citing those of the prisoners who were able to leave.
As the Ukrainian counter-offensive approached, Kherson's occupying authorities moved prisoners from four local prisons to one facility far from the war zone. As a result, they had to sleep in turns, as the room was designed for only 500 people. A week later, Russian special forces arrived there, who were supposed to transport Ukrainian prisoners to Russia.
After the prisoners were kidnapped, they were sent on a "journey" that lasted several months. They covered about 6.5 thousand km and went through five countries and five prisons. The Ukrainians made a stop at a transit prison in annexed Crimea, where many of them were beaten by masked guards. After that, the prisoners were driven further east and distributed among the colonies in southern Russia. The NYT interlocutor says that many of them were afraid of recruiting Wagner to PMCs. However, when the mercenaries got to the colonies where the Ukrainians are kept, they did not pay attention even to those few of them who wanted to go to war.
In addition, some of the prisoners were offered to issue Russian passports, but few agreed to this. When the Ukrainians finished their term of imprisonment, they were released, but they were detained again at the exit from the colony. The prisoners were asked how they got to Russia and accused of violating immigration laws. As a result, many of them were fined for illegal entry into Russia.
The human rights organization UnMode helped to evacuate Ukrainian prisoners from Russia. According to the NYT, one group of 14 people was transported more than 1,500 kilometers in a prison van to the border with Latvia. Upon arrival, some of them received a document from the Latvian immigration authorities, in which it was written in Ukrainian that the Latvians were “ready to accept the citizens of Ukraine with an open heart.” However, after that, the local special forces escorted them back to Russia. Most of the abducted Ukrainian prisoners also remain in Russia, the NYT notes.