Russia plans seven new superprisons despite war-driven inmate decline

Russia plans to build seven prison complexes with capacity for over 20,000 inmates by 2035, including one in occupied Kherson, even as its prison population fell from 465,000 to 282,000 since 2021 due to recruitment of inmates for the Ukraine war. The plan signals long-term state investment in penal infrastructure despite current depopulation, possibly anticipating post-war inmate surges or reflecting bureaucratic inertia. The Kherson location implies intent to consolidate control over occupied territory.