The kremlin Is Preparing the Prison System for a New Wave of Arrests

russia is increasing funding for the prison system, even though the total number of prisoners is declining. By 2035, $3.8 billion are planned to be spent on the expansion and modernization of prisons and pretrial detention centers, instead of the previously projected $1.1 billion. The program includes the construction of 11 new pretrial detention centers with a capacity of 11,230 beds, 14 high-security blocks, the renovation of existing facilities, and 118 auxiliary structures. The funding covers not only the construction of detention centers but also the development of related infrastructure.

The new facilities are planned to be built in several regions. In moscow region, a pretrial detention center with 4,000 beds will be built. In tatarstan, authorities have announced the creation of the country’s first multifunctional complex with 3,000 beds, which will combine correctional colonies and a pretrial detention center. In 2025, a complex with a capacity of 1,000 people was opened in kazan, combining a pretrial detention center, general- and strict-regime correctional colonies, a women’s correctional colony, a reformatory, and a section of a correctional center. Two more integrated complexes, each with a capacity of 3,000, are planned for construction in chita and ulan-ude.

At the same time, the prison population in russia is declining. In May 2026, the federal penitentiary service reported 282,000 people in places of deprivation of liberty, including 85,000 in pretrial detention centers. The total number of prisoners is first of all influenced by the conscription of convicts into the war against Ukraine. However, some large detention centers, especially in metropolitan areas, remain overcrowded.

The expansion of the prison system is taking place against a background of intensifying political repression. Since the beginning of 2026, at least ten political prisoners have died in russian prisons. Every day, about 50 people fall victim to repression and become defendants in politically motivated criminal cases.

New pretrial detention centers and correctional facilities will allow the authorities to hold more suspects and defendants, as well as increase the number of available spaces during new waves of arrests, for which the kremlin is preparing.

At the same time, in the 2027 budget, moscow plans to cut spending on social programs. Funding for social policy is set to decrease by 7%, and for healthcare – by 6.8%, to 7 trillion rubles.