Russia’s Prison System Faces Severe Staffing Crisis

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) is facing a severe staffing crisis that has led some facilities to use mannequins in watchtowers to conceal the lack of personnel from inmates. The shortage is affecting the Russian penal system’s ability to maintain security and uphold prisoners’ rights.

In mid-March 2026, Arkady Gostev, the head of the FSIN, announced that the agency was experiencing a critical lack of staff. Alexander Rogozin, the deputy head of the FSIN, provided further data indicating that the nationwide staffing shortfall averaged 37 percent. In certain regions, the deficit of junior and mid-level personnel reached nearly 70 percent.

Impact of Military Recruitment

The staffing crisis persists despite a significant decrease in the total number of inmates. This decline is attributed to the Russian Defence Ministry’s active recruitment of prisoners for the war in Ukraine.

Official statistics show that the prison population fell from 433,000 people at the beginning of 2023 to 313,000 by January 1, 2025. However, the reduction in inmates has not alleviated the personnel shortage. instead, the deficit within the FSIN continues to grow.

Systemic Failures and Facility Closures

The Russian government has attempted to mitigate the shortage by lifting the ban on employing individuals with prior convictions within law enforcement agencies.

the human rights project Open Space reports that 88 detention facilities were closed in Russia since 2022. While these closures were intended to streamline operations, they have often exacerbated the staffing problem. When colonies are shut down, inmates are transferred to other facilities, but the personnel from the closed sites are not always successfully integrated into the remaining system.

One colony here was closed and the inmates were transferred to two others in the same area. But that didn’t make up for the shortages in those two facilities, because the colony that was shut down was already severely understaffed

Alexandra, an FSIN doctor in southern Russia, via Novaya Gazeta Europe

Former FSIN analyst Anna Karetnikova noted that while leadership prefers to transfer staff from closed colonies to other facilities, such moves often require officers to relocate to different towns. Many officers choose to resign and seek civilian employment rather than relocate.

Broader Labor Market Context

The staffing issues within the prison system mirror a wider crisis in the Russian labor market. Independent demographer Alexei Raksha has stated that the war in Ukraine created a shortage of approximately 1 million people in the general workforce.

This broader shortage is driven by several factors:

• Between 300,000 and 500,000 people were recruited into the army during the mobilization in 2022.
• At least 500,000 individuals have left the country since the invasion of Ukraine.
• A decrease in the arrival of foreign workers and the departure of those already present in Russia.
• A trend among young men to avoid legal employment in favor of the shadow economy or self-employment to avoid being handed over to the Ministry of Defence by employers.