The number of foreign prisoners in Russia's correctional institutions is increasing year by year. According to Arkadiy Gostev, head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia (FSIN), as of January 1, 2025, there are more than 30,000 foreign citizens in Russian prisons, and 69.5 percent of them are from Central Asian countries.
According to Gostev, the operational situation in Russia's correctional institutions is becoming more complex. In some cases, emergencies such as conflicts among prisoners, escapes, and hostage-taking have occurred. This, in turn, creates problems in the execution of court decisions and ensuring security.
Despite the increase in the number of prisoners in Russia and changes in their crime rates, there are some specific trends among the convicts. Gostev stated that the number of prisoners in places of deprivation of liberty has decreased, but their criminal activities are associated with very serious and extremely serious crimes. While the number of convicts for several types of crimes had decreased in previous years, the proportion of those imprisoned for committing extremely serious crimes increased by 88 percent in 2025.
Crimes related to extremism and terrorism are also continuing to rise in Russia. According to Gostev, the number of individuals who committed crimes classified as extremist and terrorist has increased by 45.5 percent. Additionally, it has been noted that the number of those who committed crimes against the constitutional order and security has increased by 96 percent.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the number of crimes committed by foreign migrants and stateless persons decreased by 2.1 percent from January to November 2024. Among these, serious and extremely serious crimes decreased by 3.9 percent, cases of intentional infliction of serious bodily harm decreased by 11.1 percent, and murders and attempted murders decreased by 4.5 percent.
Despite the effectiveness of the state's measures in combating crime in Russia, issues related to balancing the situation in prisons and combating extremism remain urgent. The increase in the number of foreigners, as well as the worsening composition of prisoners, significantly affects the work and strategies implemented by the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia.
