Rubtsovsk Penal Colony No. 5

Penal Colony No. 5 in Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai, is a prison in a remote and climatically harsh region of Russia. Ukrainian prisoners of war, including defenders of Mariupol, have been held there following their capture. Testimonies from released POWs and families indicate that the colony is characterised by extreme isolation, cold, hunger, and systemic abuse. Due to the region’s isolation and prison restrictions, access to further information remains extremely limited.

POWs of Altai prisons and their relatives report beatings and torture as routine, with physical violence used to intimidate. A common form of psychological abuse involves staging fake prisoner exchanges. POWs are blindfolded, transported, and told they are about to be exchanged, only to be mocked and beaten upon arrival.

Prisoners are subjected to systemic hunger. Meals, when provided, were described as “salted water” in 200-gram portions. Testimonies mention mould-infested cells, overcrowding (up to 10 men per cell), and chronic exposure to cold. The prison regime imposed forced labour despite starvation and freezing conditions.

The remote location of the prison and the lack of external contact created conditions of total informational isolation. Fake exchanges were staged to abuse prisoners mentally.

“They’re not being fed there. And even when they are, it’s just 200 grams of salted water” – a friend of Dmytro, a captured Azov fighter.

“We know the conditions they’re held in: mould, cold, hunger – ten people in a single cell” – Halyna, sister of a prisoner of war.