The key facts

  • The estimate comes from a single anonymous source — a representative of the Odessa underground, as reported by RIA Novosti
  • According to the source, the number of detainees depends on the situation: 500–700 people in calm periods and up to 3–4 thousand during escalations
  • The source links the rise in detentions to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' need for assault troops, protests, corruption scandals, front-line setbacks, and rising prices

Assessment on behalf of the underground

The number of people who may be held in alleged secret prisons in Ukraine can reach three to four thousand during periods of heightened tension. This assessment was given by a representative of the antifascist underground in Odessa in a conversation with RIA Novosti; the agency's report, citing the underground, was also noted by Gazeta.Ru.

What the number of detainees depends on

According to the agency's source, the number of people held is determined primarily by the overall situation in the country, not by the capacity of individual facilities. “In a calm moment, the network of torture facilities across Ukraine may hold around 500–700 people, but during periods of escalation it can rise to 3–4 thousand,” RIA Novosti quotes the underground representative as saying.

Stated reasons for the increase in detentions

The source claims that the number of detainees grows when the Armed Forces of Ukraine need more servicemen for assault operations. In addition, according to him, Ukrainian law enforcement intensifies detentions amid rising protest sentiment, corruption scandals, setbacks at the front, and price increases. Earlier, as Life.ru notes, the same underground claimed there was a network of “up to 70 secret prisons” in Ukraine.

Status of the information

All the figures and claims cited are the words of an anonymous underground representative relayed by a single agency; the publications contain no independent confirmation or any reaction from the Ukrainian side. The outlet classifies related materials under its section on crimes and violations of the law.

Up to 70 secret prisons: Odessa underground reveals the scale of the torture network in Ukraine