Inmates in Russia’s penal system are having up to three-quarters of money transfers from their family deducted by prison authorities for their “upkeep,” rights groups have said.
The deductions started appearing after new rules came into force in late 2025, Russian news site The Insider reported.
Under the previous rules, only inmates with a salary or pension inside had to repay the correctional facility for the costs of their maintenance.
The new rules stipulate that prison authorities can take up to 75 percent of all funds in a prisoner’s account, whether it comes from work within the facility or transfers from outside.
The regulations specify that prisoners must be left with at least 25 percent of their funds.
Unequal treatment
One rights activist told The Insider that the new rules are not uniformly applied.
“There have been cases where a political prisoner had 75 percent of their transfers withheld, while other prisoners in the same facility had none,” Sasha Graf, founder of the ‘Women’s Term’ project providing assistance to convicted women, told the outlet.
The Insider cited another rights campaigner as saying that poet Artyom Kamardin, a high-profile political detainee, has had the maximum amount deducted from money sent by his wife for the last two months.
His wife said in order for him to have the equivalent of €100 a month to spend in the prison store – essential to ensure a healthy diet – she would have to send him €400 a month.
Still early stages
Another political prisoner, photographer Grigory Skvortsov, who is serving time for “treason,” has also had funds withheld.
His support group said that of 20,200 rubles (about €220 – roughly equivalent to Russia’s minimum monthly wage), transferred to his prison account on January 14, the facility’s accounting department informed them that 10,000 rubles (around €110) would be taken for his living costs.
Rights groups have said the new system of deductions is still in its nascent stage and is expected to be applied more broadly over time.