DUSHANBE, June 2, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan tops the CIS states in terms of the number of nationals being held in Russia’s jails.

According to Russia’s news agency Interfax, some 5,000 Tajiks are currently serving their sentences for different crimes in penal colonies in Russia, which is some 20 percent of the overall number of residents of the former Soviet republics being held in Russian prisons.

Tajikistan is followed by Ukraine; 4,360 Ukrainians are currently serving their sentences in Russian penal colonies.  Uzbekistan with 4,000 prisoners stands the third place.

In all, 24,416 residents of the former Soviet republics, with 50 percent of them being persons without citizenship, are currently serving their sentences in the Russian penal colonies, the news agency said.