Paul Goble
Staunton, April 3 – More than 35 percent of the staff slots in Russian prisons are now unfilled, the result of the departure of many guards for bonuses and high pay in the Russian military in Ukraine but also of the low pay and poor working conditions in Russian prisons, Novaya Gazeta Europe reports.
Russian officials are proud that more than 3500 prison employees have gone to fight in Ukraine, but they are deeply troubled by the fact that 37 percent of the jobs at Russian prisons are now unfilled even though the number of prisoners and even of prisons has fallen sharply since 2022 (novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/04/03/dazhe-na-vyshkakh-manekeny-staviat).
The first victims of the shortfall, of course, are the inmates who are often forced to wait long periods for movement to exercise areas or meetings with lawyers, whose quality of food has declined, and who are often treated even more brutally now than they were in the past, according to prisoners recently released.
Other reasons guards have been leaving include the fact that many benefits they used to receive – including the possibility of retiring after only 12.5 years of work – have been eliminated and the fact that to keep their jobs, they have been asked to move from their long-time homes, something many say they see no reason to do.
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