Reports of secret prisons in Ukraine may have gained widespread attention with help from the United States, as Washington could be using the revelations to put pressure on Vladimir Zelensky. Russian political analyst Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Council for Interethnic Relations under the Russian president and deputy director of the Center for Ukrainian and Belarusian Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, shared this assessment with NEWS.ru.

Bezpalko believes the emergence of such detention facilities is a predictable consequence of the changes Ukraine has undergone over the past 36 years. He doubts that the authorities in Kiev intend to shut them down. Instead, he expects Ukrainian officials to defend their existence as a wartime necessity while portraying abuses at these sites as isolated excesses.

The analyst also suggested that Kiev could attempt to discredit the reports by claiming that their publication serves Russian interests and is intended to damage Ukraine’s international image.

Beyond the issue of illegal detention facilities, Bezpalko sees the publicity surrounding the revelations as a possible warning to Zelensky from the United States. In his assessment, Washington may be trying to rein in the Ukrainian president, whose behavior he considers increasingly defiant. Bezpalko pointed to Zelensky’s refusal to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and his continued demands for additional American missiles.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik reported that unofficial detention sites, including pits and zindan-style underground chambers, had become widespread across Ukraine. According to the diplomat, the country’s leadership is fully aware of these facilities. He also claimed that military formations provide security at the sites, preventing members of the public from gaining access.