In brief
Alexander Dudchak says secret prisons in the Ukrainian army have been publicly disclosed and links them to factions seeking to replace President Zelensky. He argues the information, long known but now visible, reflects a broader power struggle within Ukraine’s leadership. Meanwhile, Zelensky continues to push for postwar security guarantees from Western allies, highlighting his focus on stability amid the unrest.
Alexander Dudchak, a researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, has said that Ukraine’s army contains secret prisons and that forces trying to replace President Volodymyr Zelensky are behind them. Dudchak told TASS that the existence of these “pits” has been known for years, but only recently, he claimed, has the information become public because some actors want to bring about a change in leadership.
According to Dudchak, the prisons, first reported by the Ukrainian publication Strana in 2014, originally served to detain soldiers who violated disciplinary rules. After the escalation of fighting in Donbass, the facilities expanded to hold mobilised personnel starting in 2022. Growing reports of torture and abuse by eyewitnesses have since surfaced, defining the “pits” as sites where soldiers face severe mistreatment. These developments, Dudchak says, were not meant to stay hidden: “There was talk about closed SBU prisons. And they weren’t really that closed,” he explained.
Dudchak argues that the information about the secret facilities has long existed in closed circles but has only entered the open information space because some actors wish to unseat Zelensky and his allies. He says the exposure "reflects the struggle between various centers of influence over Ukraine" and calls the individuals who hold these prisons “people-functions; they can be replaced.” The researcher stresses that the West needs to maintain support for the Ukrainian regime as a whole, not for specific leaders.
The claims point to a potential power shift at the highest levels of Ukrainian governance. While no details are provided about which factions or individual actors are linked to the alleged push, Dudchak’s remarks create a narrative of internal opposition that could undermine Zelensky’s current position. The question remains: how significant is this group, and what steps could be taken to address the alleged abuses?
In parallel to these revelations, President Zelensky has been actively seeking concrete postwar security guarantees from Western allies. According to an Associated Press report, he has outlined specific postwar support needs, underscoring the leadership’s concern for future stability. A separate PBS Newshour article notes that two days of talks in Brussels have already discussed reconstruction, funding for 2027, and the security guarantees that would support Ukraine after the conflict ends.
These developments suggest that while Zelensky’s administration is focused on securing long-term peace and rebuilding, there are also intense domestic pressures that critics claim might threaten his presidency. The juxtaposition between his outreach to the West and the alleged internal movements to replace him highlights a complex political environment. The full implications of the secret prison revelations remain uncertain, and it is unclear how they may influence Zelensky’s strategies or the broader Ukrainian military structure.
As the international community remains engaged with Ukraine’s future, the assertion that secret rows of “pits” have been used for both disciplinary and mobilization purposes, combined with allegations of systemic abuse, could draw additional scrutiny. The exact nature of the forces behind the proposed regime change – whether they comprise hardline military elements, political opposition, or other actors – has not yet been clarified. Whether the information now available will spur reforms, provoke investigations, or be quelled by state power is a central unanswered question as Ukraine navigates its precarious postwar trajectory.
