Report Details Arrests and Isolation of People Linked to Ukraine in Southern Russia and the North Caucasus

Marsho Radio has published a compilation of reports, supported by an expert analysis from the Sova team, documenting arrests, criminal cases and prolonged detentions of people identified with Ukraine across several southern Russian regions and the North Caucasus. The material, compiled from a range of sources including Russian government statements, press releases, local journalists and state media output, describes a pattern in which detainees are branded with criminal labels, transferred between penal institutions, and subject to severe restrictions on communication and legal assistance.

The Sova expert cited in the report, Savva Mikhail — described as a political scientist and a central expert on marches and the Caucasus, and a professor at Kuban State University — says the dossier relies on an aggregation of official and media accounts, noting that Russian authorities have increasingly used broad categories and criminal accusations to justify detentions. According to the documents, accused labels have included wording such as "арахьарчу агентийн," and the cases have invoked allegations ranging from espionage and cooperation with Ukrainian organizations to terrorism and participation in hostile operations.

The report notes that many detainees are held in pretrial detention facilities (SIZO) and penal colonies across the region. Specific locations named include SIZO No. 2 in Taganrog and detention centers in Rostov, Krasnodar, Perm (Kizel), Kamyshin and Volgograd. Those detained are often described as being placed in isolation, with restricted or monitored phone calls, tightly controlled receipt of packages, and limited access to lawyers. Family members and external monitors frequently experience difficulty obtaining reliable information, and in many cases the dossiers describe the state of detention as "инкоммуникадо." The report also states that humanitarian aid is rarely permitted and that communications are often cut off.

The documents reviewed by the Sova analyst describe systemic obstacles to legal defense. Lawyers face procedural hurdles and limited access to clients; in some cases, representation is effectively blocked or subject to heavy administrative pressure. The report cites individual examples of transfers from Taganrog to other penal institutions that complicate contact with counsel and relatives. Journalists and activists who have tried to follow these cases — including the journalist Рощина Виктория, whose movements and reporting the dossier references — have faced similar barriers.

Sova’s material points to the operational role of penal service special units and regional security services in handling these arrests and transfers. Units named in the documents include FSIN special detachments referred to as "Акула" (in Krasnodar) and "Ягуар" (in Oryol), which are described as participating in detention and transport operations. The report suggests coordination between regional penal administrations and federal security bodies in isolating and processing detainees.

The analysis also highlights a political and regional dimension to the campaign. It cites the involvement of Chechen structures and references to Ramzan Kadyrov and Chechen authorities' public posture toward those perceived as aligned with Ukraine. The dossier recounts instances of public displays, local mobilization and the use of republican policing and special forces in identifying and detaining people, as well as the regionally highly visible role played by units and paramilitary formations such as "Ахмат." Kadyrov’s past statements and visits to conflict zones, and the sanctions previously imposed by the United States, are noted as contextual factors.

Finally, Sova’s expert warns that legal and administrative instruments introduced since 2023 and further used in 2026 have broadened the tools available to authorities for labeling and prosecuting individuals in this context — a development the report describes through references contained in official documentation, including formulas such as "157 стаг 157-ннах." Observers quoted in the dossier warn that the confluence of broad criminal charges, limited transparency, obstacles to legal defense and forceful regional practices increases the risk that detainees will be effectively cut off from all external oversight.

The compilation, as published by Marsho Radio and presented to Sova’s expert team, is intended to map the pattern of arrests and to document operational methods and legal pretexts used across multiple regions. Human rights monitors and legal advocates, the report suggests, may face significant challenges in obtaining information and securing legal protection for those detained, amid an environment of heightened political pressure and securitized responses to perceived ties with Ukraine.