How much does it cost to keep one Russian prisoner: Ukraine’s Justice Ministry shares amount

Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olena Vysotska said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"There are expenses for clothing, medical care, food, utilities, as well as for the arrangement of the place of detention, staff, and security," she said.

The journalist recalled that last year Vysotska mentioned the amount of UAH 3,000, answering a question about the sum of living expenses for keeping one Russian occupier.

"When we talked about  3,000 hryvnias a month as a cost of keeping one Russian prisoner of war, we took into account the cost of food and utilities. It was a very rough calculation and incorrect, since the amount did not include the salaries of staff, guards, convoys, etc.", the official said.

"If we talk about the more or less normally calculated cost of keeping a prisoner in the camp at the end of 2022, taking into account the provision of the camp, taxes, salaries, utilities, this amount is about 10,000 hryvnias (USD 250 – ed.) per prisoner per month," she added.

For comparison, Vysotska mentioned the amount of money spent on detainees in pre-trial detention centers in 2021 – 11,000 hryvnias per month.

"It's not much different," she said.

• On February 16, 100 soldiers and one civilian returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity during another prisoner exchange. Among the released soldiers are National Guard personnel, border guards, and Armed Forces soldiers. 94 of them are defenders of Mariupol, 63 of whom fought at the Azovstal steel plant. Many of the prisoners had injuries of varying severity.