Russia plans to build dozens of prison camps across Ukraine over the next few years, documents show, hinting Moscow's readying for a long war

Inside the building where Ukrainian civilians said they were held and tortured, in Izium, Ukraine.

Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

• Russia has been imprisoning Ukrainian civilians since the early months of the invasion.
• A document shows that Moscow plans to build 25 more prison camps in Ukraine by 2026, per AP.
• War analysts previously noted how Russia is prepared for a protracted war.

Russia has plans to build dozens of prison camps throughout Ukraine in the next few years, showing another sign that Moscow is willing to prolong the brutal war.

A new report from The Associated Press revealed how thousands of Ukrainian civilians are detained inside prison colonies throughout Russia and Russian-occupied territories, where people are kept inside squalid cells and forced to dig trenches for frontline Russian soldiers or mass graves for fellow prisoners.

A document from the Russian government obtained by the news agency showed that Moscow has plans to create 25 more prison colonies and six detention centers throughout occupied Ukraine by 2026.

The plan is another reflection of what war analysts have described as Russia's vision for a prolonged war after Ukrainian resistance dashed Moscow's hope for a swift victory.

Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think tank, previously pointed to Russia's revised conscription laws to conclude that the government is "methodically stepping through a process to go over to a higher readiness and protracted war." 

In April, Russian lawmakers revised the country's conscription laws to allow the government to send digital draft notices that would make the process of enlisting men quicker while also increasing penalties on draft evasion.

Head of German Intelligence Agency Bruno Kahl said in May that "Russia is still capable of waging a long-range war," noting the country's ammunition stockpiles and expansive manpower.

In remarks during his visit in Vietnam in May, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, also suggested the conflict could last years — even "decades."

"As long as there is such power [in Kyiv], there will be, say, three years of cease-fire, two years of conflict, and then everything will happen again," Medvedev said.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that provides analysis of the Ukraine-Russia war, noted that a "long war" was not the "inherent Kremlin goal," but rather a shift in Moscow's approach after the country failed to quickly capture key Ukraine regions at the beginning of the invasion.

The think tank also added that a prolonged war is a narrative that Russia would want to push to discourage the West's support for Ukraine.

Kyiv launched its highly anticipated counteroffensive against Russia in early June, but it has proven to be a slower-than-expected operation as Ukrainian soldiers make incremental advances.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said the counteroffensive would be "overly long" and "very, very bloody," anticipating timelines of up to 10 weeks.

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