More Money for Penal Colonies

In 2025, Russia will see a sharp rise in spending on the Federal Penitentiary Service, according to an analysis of the draft budget for 2025–2027 by independent media outlet The Insider.

The budget for the department will increase by R24 billion (approximately $250 million) compared to 2024, totaling R422 billion ($4.4 billion). In the 2023 budget, the spending was initially planned to be reduced to R307 billion ($3.3 billion).

In 2025, social expenses for the Federal Penitentiary Service will rise by R12 billion ($125.5 million), pension payments by R11 billion ($115 million), and health care expenses by R4 billion ($41.8 million).

A significant portion of the budget is allocated to the federal program for the "development of the penal system." In 2025, R2.2 billion ($23 million) will be spent on this program, with the budget increasing to R15 billion ($157 million) in 2026 and R21 billion ($220 million) in 2027. That's a 10-fold increase (not accounting for inflation) over the next three years.

Anna Karetnikova, a former lead analyst for the Federal Penitentiary Service in Moscow, suggested the rise in spending is linked to the construction of "supercolonies"— large complexes that will include settlements, correctional centers, pretrial detention facilities, and colonies of different security levels. These supercolonies are planned for 29 Russian regions.

Each supercolony can hold 3,000 people (for context, at the end of 2023, Russia had approximately 250,000 prisoners). The Ministry of Justice believes building these facilities will reduce costs related to transporting prisoners, as pretrial detention centers and colonies will be located closer together.

“The idea is questionable," Karetnikova told The Insider. "All textbooks on penitentiary law suggest a good size for a pretrial detention center is a maximum of 1,000 people, beyond which control is quickly lost."

Plans for the construction of supercolonies have already been proposed in Ulan-Ude, Chita, and Kaluga. In Kaluga, the proposed location near the village of Zherelo has sparked protests from residents who are concerned about living near such a large number of prisoners. Similar protests have occurred in Ulan-Ude, where the construction will also require the cutting down of 80 hectares of forest.

Karetnikova believes the supercolonies are a way to justify the funding increase, which will likely instead go towards corrupt ends. “The Federal Penitentiary Service is a black hole, and they need some excuse to get money. I think they came up with the idea of supercolonies just to continue receiving funding,” she said.