The recent actions of Russia's prime minister have prompted online accusations that Russia is setting up concentration camps in the parts of Ukraine that were illegally annexed by Russian troops last fall.
On Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, through a signed government order, instructed the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service to open up 24 new penal colonies in the four Russian-annexed areas of Ukraine — in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in Kherson, and in Zaporizhzhia.
According to a decree from the Russian government, which was published online, at least 24 penal colonies will be set up in Ukraine — 12 in the Donetsk region, seven in the Luhansk region, three in the Kherson region, and two facilities in Zaporizhzhia, where a "settlement-type colony" will be created.
Russian forces seized the four areas, as part of a "sham" referendum organized by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Newsweek.
The addition of 24 penal colonies in Ukraine means that Russia now controls 650 penal colonies throughout Europe.
Back in November, the independent investigative outlet Meduza reported there were already 626 penal colonies operating in Russia alone.
This week's decree from the Russian government follows the words of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who said the process of integrating the Ukraine territories had been in "full swing."
Also, in December, the Russian news agency Tass quoted Peskov as saying, "The main thing for us is to ensure the security of these regions as soon as possible.
"Ensuring the safety of civilians who live there is the main goal of the [special military] operation," added Peskov.
According to Newsweek, Russian penal colonies are "the descendants of gulags, the brutal Soviet-era labor camps notorious for ill treatment of prisoners, and where millions of Russians were tortured and killed."
After learning of Russia's controversial decree, a number of Twitter users likened the penal colonies to "concentration camps" in the Ukraine territories.
"They're building concentration camps for Ukrainians while systematically erasing every trace of Ukrainian history in occupied territories. If it isn't genocide, what is?" tweeted Les Vynogradov, a Kyiv-based musician and translator. "The most nauseating thing about it, though, is that it's exactly what Russia has been doing for centuries."
Another Twitter user (@lightwayves), bearing the name of Isabelle Morgan, commented: "AKA Concentration Camps."
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