Russian soldiers who refuse to take part in assaults are being held in a basement at a resort in the occupied Donetsk Region, Astra reports

Russian soldiers who refuse to take part in assaults have been held for months in a basement at the Melekine resort near the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, according to an investigation by the independent publication Astra. Even amidst the war, Melekine — a village that hosted multiple resorts along the coast of the Sea of Azov prior to the full-scale invasion — continues to receive tourists.

According to the outlet, soldiers of the 37th Brigade — mainly natives of the far eastern Russian regions of Yakutia, Zabaikalsky Krai, and Buryatia — are being held in Melekine, which is located on the coast of the Sea of Azov. In February 2022, the brigade took part in the assault on Kyiv and later in offensive operations, including the Battle of Vuhledar. Soldiers from the unit were killed while fighting in Ukraine as far back as 2015, and years before the full-scale war began, residents of the town of Kyakhta took to calling the brigade’s base “the training ground of death” due to the high peacetime fatality rate of soldiers stationed there. Soldiers who were held in Melekine told journalists that the basement is used to detain those who refuse to go on missions, deserters, those who left their unit without permission, and other soldiers who violated rules. Confinement can last from eight to ten months, and the only way to be released is to sign an agreement to take part in assaults. A soldier told Astra that during the time he was held at the resort, 70–80 people agreed to join assault missions. After Astra reported on the illegal detention facility in August 2025, an inspection arrived in Melekine, and some of the captives were returned to Russia.

Reportedly, up to 100 people were held in the basement at the same time. They were allowed to wash only once a month, to use the bathroom once a day, and to contact family no more than once a week — and only under military police supervision. There was, however, another category of detainees: those who agreed to repair the basement. They were allowed to wash daily and had free access to a phone.

According to Astra, as of Oct. 29, 2025, the detention facility was still in operation.

The makeshift military prison is located 300 meters from a functioning holiday resort in Melekine. Locals say the resort still receives tourists, despite high prices “like in Sochi.” From 2014 until the start of the full-scale invasion, vacationers continued to come to the area, even though the Armed Forces of Ukraine had permanently stationed its personnel there. In 2022, this part of the Donetsk Region was occupied by Russian troops.