Inside the building where Ukrainian civilians were held and tortured, in Izium, Ukraine. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
- Russia has been detaining Ukrainian civilians since the first months of the invasion.
- A document shows that Moscow plans to build 25 more detention centers in Ukraine by 2026, according to the AP.
- War analysts previously noted that Russia is prepared for a protracted war.
Russia plans to build dozens of prison camps across Ukraine over the next few years, another sign Moscow is poised to prolong the brutal war.
A new report from The Associated Press revealed how thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being held in prison colonies across Russia and the Russian-occupied territories, where people are being held in shabby cells and forced to dig trenches for front-line Russian soldiers or mass graves for fellow prisoners.
According to a Russian government document obtained by the news agency, Moscow plans to establish 25 more prison colonies and six detention camps across occupied Ukraine by 2026.
The plan is another expression of what war analysts have described as Russia’s vision of a longer war after Ukrainian resistance dashed Moscow’s hopes of a quick victory.
Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at think tank RAND Corporation, previously referred to Russia’s revised conscription laws and concluded that the government is “methodologically moving through a process to move towards greater preparedness and a longer war”.
In April, Russian lawmakers revised the country’s draft laws to allow the government to send out digital draft notices, which would speed up the drafting process for men while increasing penalties for conscientious objection.
German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said in May that “Russia is still capable of waging a wide-ranging war,” citing the country’s stockpiles of ammunition and large manpower.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, also hinted during his visit to Vietnam in May that the conflict could last for years – even “decades”.
“As long as there is such power [in Kyiv]”There will be, say, three years of ceasefire, 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” is not the “inherent goal of the Kremlin,” but rather a change in Moscow’s Approach by land At the beginning of the invasion, they failed to quickly capture important regions of Ukraine.
The think tank also added that a prolonged war is a narrative Russia wants to push to discourage Western support for Ukraine.
Kiev launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia in early June, but it proved slower than expected as Ukrainian soldiers gradually advanced.
US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said the counter-offensive would be “excessively long” and “very, very bloody” and expected it to take up to 10 weeks.
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