Russia wants to use prison labor for construction projects
Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko said the Russian penal service was right in proposing to use prison labor on large construction sites.
The Russian government believes that "correctional centers" can be set up on large construction sites and prisoners with the necessary qualifications will perform construction work.
At the same time, according to the minister, it is necessary to move quickly and "create workplaces in all directions”, including large investment projects, which will be able to accommodate more than a thousand workers.
Chuychenko noted that, in Russia, there are currently only facilities where only about a hundred prisoners can work. In his view, the creation of larger correctional centres would give prisoners the right to reduce their sentences. About 180,000 Russian prisoners could be employed at construction sites.
At the same time, the Kremlin believes that the use of prisoners in construction work is of "economic importance" and the Federal Penitentiary Service is already actively working with Russian business.
Earlier, Russia demanded that the countries of the former Soviet Union remove their migrant workers from its territory, threatening to close the borders.