Russian inmates are forced to donate money to the so-called DPR, says the head of Russia Behind Bars

Inmates serving their sentences in Penal Colony 4 in the community of Udarny in Mordovia, Central Russia, have been forced to transfer 500 rubles (~$8.5) from their accounts as a donation to the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, reports Olga Romanova, head of Russia Behind Bars (the Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Convicts and Their Families), in her Telegram channel.

She emphasized that the amount was significant for an inmate.

“For some, it is half of their monthly income or even all of it. Alexei Navalny writes that he receives an immense salary of 5,000 rubles (~$84), and it is indeed a lot. Normally, this salary is distributed among ten people, who work very hard to get it, while only one is officially employed. This is why the pay is so menial on the inside,” Romanova wrote.

In 2018, the Human Rights Defenders of the Urals surveyed the inmates of Penal Colony 4 in Mordovia and confirmed the reports of massive beatings in the institution.