Fire Island. Hell on earth

The prison for criminals who received a life sentence, located on Ognenny Island in the middle of Novy Lake in the Vologda Region, can be safely called the “Russian Alcatraz”. Just like its American twin, it is separated from the land on all sides cold water northern reservoir, and the regime of detention is considered one of the most severe. Not a single prisoner managed to escape from it in the entire long history. The name of the Russian analogue among the people is the Vologda penny, and in official documents- FKU IK-5 UFSIN in the Vologda region. However, the prison has repeatedly changed names.

The first mention of people who set foot on the land of the island dates back to 1517. The monk of the Korniliev-Komel monastery Kirill became the pioneer. He searched for a long time and finally found himself a place completely suitable for absolute solitude, where he could indulge in prayers to God. In those distant times, the island on the lake was called Red. The place is really very picturesque. Several more monks joined Cyril a few years later.

Together, they founded the Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery, the walls and buildings of which now serve as a maximum security prison. The history of the monastery began at the time of Father Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III. All Russian sovereigns paid much attention to one of the northern monasteries. It was visited by Peter the Great with the future Empress Elizabeth the First.

Next to the monastery is ancient city Belozersk, where disgraced boyars were often sent into exile, but the prison appeared on Ognenny Island immediately after arriving in the Vologda region Soviet power. In 1918, all the monks were expelled from the island. Instead, revolutionary-minded people in "boots and leather jackets" began to settle in the monastery. With them appeared their wards "enemies of the people" - representatives of socially alien classes.

"Enemies of the people" were kept in the cell-chambers of the monastery for the next few decades. Only closer to the war instead of nobles, white officers and merchants most"political criminals" were Soviet party and business leaders who fell under the moloch Stalinist repressions. Perhaps among them were the same people in "boots and leather jackets" who changed the status of the ancient monastery. The Cyrillo-Komel Monastery was quickly forgotten. Now it was called the Novoezerskaya ITK or, in general, impersonally - a camp point of a strict regime. The faces of the saints were thickly smeared with a thick layer of fresh plaster.

In 1953, before his execution in the Moscow basement of the district headquarters, Lavrenty Palych managed to once again re-profile the colony. At that time, in a prison for especially dangerous criminals, who quickly came up with a new name for the prison - the Vologda penny. The jailers accurately determined the type of contingent entering to serve their sentences and re-educate. They were convicted for the first time for banditry and murder.

"Zone" at all times was considered "red". "" got there extremely rarely, due to their specialization in other articles of the criminal code. In 1994, already under Russian jurisdiction, it was decided to adapt the Vologda pyatak for the detention of criminals who received life imprisonment under a court verdict. With the announcement in 1996 of a moratorium on the death penalty, their number increased.

Thief in law Gennady Mikhailov - Solyony

The first stage of "prisoners with a wad" happened in the same 1994. 17 people arrived on the island. Among them was a thief in law (Mikhailov), who had previously been stabbed to death in a colony Kemerovo region security officer. He will have to live on the Vologda penny for 20 years. In the summer of 2014, he will be taken from the island to the "hospital" in Vologda, where he will die. So far, only 4 people remain in prison from that first stage. The rest were taken to death or they were transported to other 6 institutions of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, intended in Russia for the maintenance of life-sentenced prisoners.

Still, Solyony was not the discoverer of the Vologda nickel among thieves. In the early 80s, Pasha Strazhnik (Strazhnikov) - one of the most famous thieves in law - was kept in it for some time. Soviet Union. After his release, he lived for a long time in warm lands, until in 1997 he died in an accident in the Georgian Zestaponi. On the Vologda penny, he almost ran into another well-known thief in law, Piso (Kuchuloria), who spent about the same time there for about a year. Unlike the Guard, the prison sucked all the health out of the Georgian. A couple of years later, Piso died, but already at large in Moscow.

Approximately the same fate awaited another "thief in law" from the southerners Gocha Galsky (Toriya). He visited the “pyatak” in 2010 when he was very young. Last year he died in Warsaw, barely over forty years old. Quite recently, the Dagestan thief Shamil Smolyansky (Magomedov) “dropped in” for a short time, but the Vologda penny was no longer the same as it was before. In 2011, it underwent a global reconstruction, which largely changed the purely living conditions content and destroyed previously seemed indestructible spirit of ancient times.

The Vologda penny entered the 21st century with buckets that replaced the slop bucket, and the absence of washstands in the cells. Now there is no such extreme in prison. Toilet bowls and sinks were installed in all the cells, though only with cold water. All objects of the prison complex are still heated with coal or wood, as in the days of the founder of the monastery, monk Kirill.

For relatives of prisoners hurrying on a date, a dirt road from the regional center of Belozersk, located 50 kilometers away, sagging in spring and autumn, can become an insurmountable extreme. The thread connecting the island with the "mainland" remains a fairly solid wooden bridge. On it, its guests are brought to the prison. According to him, they are taken to the prison cemetery, located on the shore somewhere in 3 kilometers.

Vologda penny today

The new time and the new state did not change the qualitative composition of the prisoners. The majority are bandits who "filled up" a couple of people during a robbery. Cannibals have also become a trend of modernity. The prison has its own old-timer. This is Kazbek Kaloev, who was sentenced to death in the Soviet Union in 1990. He was the leader of a gang that robbed and killed passers-by on the streets. Before the replacement of execution by life imprisonment he was already considered a particularly dangerous recidivist, having been convicted four times. Kaloev's last hope was parole, the question of which, according to current law, can be considered no earlier than serving 25 years of imprisonment. So far, in Russia there is only one precedent for the release of a “convict” with a “wad” behind him. Most recently, it happened in the prison "".

Now the Vologda penny, calculated at a maximum occupancy of half a thousand souls, is practically half-empty. The forced population in last decade can not overcome the milestone of 200.

Otherwise, the Vologda pyatak is not much different from similar ones. Russian prisons. Psychopaths sit in solitary confinement, more stress-resistant prisoners share cells with a neighbor or neighbors. On the walls in front of the doors to the cells on the side of the corridor, there are “memos” that describe in detail the characteristics of the character and behavior of their inhabitants. This measure is designed specifically for security guards. To never relax.

The history of the prison does not yet know riots or actions of mass disobedience, but what the hell is not joking? In 1995, there was only one emergency in the prison. One of the prisoners, a Chechen by nationality, committed suicide. Of the features of the conditions of detention, inherent only to the Vologda penny, the most painful for the prisoners was the complete ban on smoking on the island. Many years ago, the administration of the institution decided so. As compensation for the taboo on tobacco, she also changed the procedure for escorting prisoners outside the cell. They are necessarily handcuffed, but they are not forced to bend their torso to the ground and put their outstretched arms behind their backs.

Continuing the Soviet prison traditions, mittens are sewn on the Vologda penny - a favorite product of sewing shops at the "zones". The prison entered the history of Russian cinema. Main character Vasily Shukshin's film "Kalina Krasnaya" is released from its gates. Her appearance has not changed since the filming of the film.

The institution is a special regime men's correctional colony for those sentenced to life imprisonment. According to , the filling limit is 505 seats, including a 55-seat high-security section.

The colony is located on the island of Ognenny, located on Lake Novozero near the city of Belozersk, in the Belozersk district of the Vologda region.

• Institution address: 161222, Vologda region, Belozersky district, Ognenny island, 16.
• E-mail address of the institution: [email protected] .

The head of the correctional colony and his deputies, at a specially allotted time, receive citizens on the issues of serving sentences sentenced to deprivation of liberty.

Applications for visits, transfers and money transfers for prisoners are considered only by the head of the colony.

Information about IK-5 can be obtained on a special page of the GUFSIN website http://www.35.fsin.rf/stru%D1%81ture/fku-ik-5/ or on the page electronic directory prisons Russian Federation https://fsin-atlas.ru/catalog/object/ik5ognen/ . Also have pages in in social networks dedicated to the colony:

According to the rules of the institution, it is allowed to visit convicts twice a year. Long-term and short-term visits are carried out in weekdays, and on weekends and holidays at the same time: 07.45-17.15. Long-term visits (for three days) are allowed only after 10 years in the colony. The duration of short-term meetings is four hours. Their procedure and terms are regulated by Art. 89 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

To receive a visit, you need permission from the head of the institution, which can be obtained by submitting a special application. You can issue it in writing or in electronic form on the page of the colony on the website of the GUFSIN. If there are no legal grounds for refusal, then a written permission to visit is issued. In case of refusal to grant a meeting, the reasons for refusal are indicated on the application.

Map - how to get there

A photo

Infrastructure

The colony itself is a complex of four buildings. The cells in it will be more spacious, with ventilation and sewerage, which is not available in the old premises for prisoners. One of the buildings is located in the building of a former monastery, which is already 500 years old. The rest of the buildings are modern, they were built within the last 5-20 years and consist of three floors.

The territory of the Fiery is small, therefore the whole of it is occupied by a colony. The island is connected by a wooden bridge with another one - Sweet, where the employees of the institution live. Fiery has no direct communication with the mainland, also there is no mobile connection on the island.

prisoners

The regime, the level of isolation and security of IK-5 can be called one of the toughest in the system of correctional institutions in Russia. This is due to the fact that the most dangerous criminals are sent here. Here, those convicted under 17 articles of the Criminal Code are serving their sentences: murderers, terrorists, cannibals, pedophiles, rapists, persons who have committed crimes against minors and law enforcement officers.

In addition to those who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment, there are also those who, after the introduction of a moratorium on it in Russia in 1996, were replaced by this measure of punishment. As of 2018, about 200 people are kept in the colony.

Also in "Pyatak" there is a special fifth detachment, as it is called here - "conscripts" - convicts with deadlines, who are here not on a special, but on a strict regime. They serve their sentences in the housekeeping detachment, providing for the life of the island. You can get into this squad only at your own request.

The reasons for this choice are obvious: the minimum number of "neighbors", and hence potential conflicts, and most importantly, the presence of a permanent job. They live in a special building in which there are no cameras, but rooms for four people.. Since these people have permanent employment, they are entitled to leave. There is a special room for vacationers, they are allowed not to get up at 6 am and go to bed later than 10 pm, watch TV as much as they like and even play something on the console.

All life prisoners live in IK-5 not in the barracks, as is customary in such institutions, but in special cells. Normative area of ​​the room 6 square meters for one person. The cell contains two prisoners, mentally unbalanced - one at a time.

To stay in the cell, prisoners are selected in a special way. For example, so that convicts prone to escape do not end up in the same cell, or a pedophile maniac does not end up next door to those who have children left free.

The furnishings of the cell are minimalist: each prisoner has a bed, a stool and a shelf for personal belongings, and a common table. The sanitary and "residential" parts of the cell are separated: the sink and toilet are located in the next room. The institution is equipped with television monitors that constantly monitor the actions of convicts..

On the door of each cell hangs a special plate with a photograph of the prisoner in it and a list of his crimes. This is done to keep employees vigilant.

After serving the first ten years in the colony, the conditions of detention are slightly weakened, and radios or televisions are allowed to be installed in the cells. They are acquired by the prisoners themselves, having accumulated money earned or transferred to them, or they are donated by relatives or philanthropists.

The bath is supposed to take place once a week, at the same time linen and clothes are changed. Toiletries, bed linen and clothes for prisoners are provided by the colony, things "from the outside" are strictly prohibited.

Maintaining cleanliness and order in the cell is the responsibility of prisoners. Their implementation is reported during the daily rounds.

Schedule

The prisoner's day starts at 6.00 am and ends at 22.00. Wake time is occupied by TV, radio, books, work and walks. It is strictly forbidden to sit or lie down on the bed during the day; a stool is provided for such purposes.

During the opening of the cell doors, the convict must stand facing the wall, put his hands behind his back, tilt his head and lower his eyes to the floor. They also move around the prison, it is strictly forbidden to look around.

Walks are carried out every day for an hour and a half. They walk in small closed courtyards strictly one at a time, the handcuffs are not removed. The inmates are taken out for a walk at the same time, at which time their cell is checked for prohibited items, evidence of an impending escape or suicide. Convicts are also subjected to mandatory screening when they are taken out of the cell. During visits to the toilet, baths, walks, any contact with other convicts is excluded.

Any actions of the convict are carried out at the command of the colony staff and with permission. Any event takes place under the supervision of at least three employees of the institution.

There are quite a lot of books in the colony, so the prisoners read a lot. All publications undergo a thorough censorship check by the authorities for the presence of scenes of violence, cruelty, drug use, etc.

Pyatak does not host sporting events, professional or schooling, watching movies, organizing concerts and others recreational activities. All prisoners are required to follow the established order and not deviate from the existing rules.

The slightest violations of the regime lead to punishment in the form of deprivation of rations or to a punishment cell.

Food

Convicts receive three daily hot meals:

• breakfast- always porridge, tea with sugar or compote;
• dinner- soup with meat or fish, barley or buckwheat porridge;
• dinner- vegetables, porridge or pasta and tea.

91.45 rubles for a meal day in IK-5, cost diet food above - 139.50 rubles. In general, about 5,000 rubles are spent on the maintenance of a prisoner per month. This amount includes meals and utilities, the salary of the prisoner is not taken into account here.

Work

In the "Vologda Pyatak" prisoners have the opportunity to work. Mittens, uniforms, quilted jackets, and hats are sewn here. Almost everyone strives to work, only those who are seen in inadequate behavior are not allowed. Work is carried out in special cells for two people under constant supervision. Prisoners work daily for an hour and a half.

Prisoners do not receive money in their hands, they are credited to a special personal account. Spend them mainly in the local store. To make purchases, the prisoner is given a list of goods, and he chooses what he needs. The assortment of the store allows you to provide everything you need, only alcohol and cigarettes are not available. You can also spend your money on extracting magazines, newspapers, books. For larger purchases, such as a TV, prisoners can save money in the account.

Health of prisoners

The local first-aid post is equipped quite modernly and very well: a dentist's office, a dressing room, an isolation room for patients who need peace are equipped. If something serious happens, the patient is sent to Vologda for treatment. The dentist comes once a quarter. The staff doctor works every day, and if necessary, can come at night. But such cases are very rare, mostly prisoners complain of hypertension and osteochondrosis, the latter develops from seated image life.

Many convicts suffer from mental illness, and besides this, tuberculosis, which has already become traditional for Russian prisons. On average, the prison infirmary contains 20-30 patients.

The colony has a full-time psychologist who works with each of the prisoners. He compiles their characteristics for the staff of the colony, analyzes the tendency to escape or suicide, helps prisoners overcome difficult moments, works on their awareness of their own guilt and motives. Interviews with a psychologist are conducted in the presence of three guards and in handcuffs in accordance with the rules of the institution.

Convicts die rarely and mostly from heart disease. Death is immediately reported to relatives, if any. In the event that the body is not taken away within a certain period, the deceased is buried in the local cemetery of Sweet Island.

Solving Religious Issues

The state cares about the health of not only the body of prisoners, but also the spirit. Religion in the colony is very tolerant. Many prisoners during long stay in conclusion they come to God, they are baptized. A priest from Belozersk, father Alexander, regularly visits his wards, confesses and communes them. Muslims are allowed to perform prayers in their cells before lights out, and for the Orthodox there is a prayer room. Most of the icons on the walls of the colony were painted by the prisoners themselves.

Parcels and transfers to the colony

According to Article 125 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation, special regime prisoners are allowed to receive 1 parcel and 1 parcel per year. Due to the inaccessibility of Pyatak, few people come for dates and programs. Currently, it is possible to order a parcel for a convict in a specialized store on the Internet: https://fsin-mag.ru. Only those goods are presented here that are allowed to be transferred to the prisoner.

When collecting a parcel on your own, you must fill out a special application, a sample of which is presented on the above website of the GUFSIN and carefully read the list of goods prohibited for transfer to prisoners.

• products in glass, metal or opaque packaging;
• tobacco;
• alcohol;
• medicines;
• perishable or requiring special storage products.

It is forbidden to transfer clothing, chemical, sharp-smelling, piercing, cutting objects.

Letters and parcels for prisoners are always checked by the staff of the colony. The number of letters, according to Article 91 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation, is not limited for a prisoner.

Penalty isolator

For the slightest violation of the regime or disobedience to the staff of the colony, the prisoner is sent to the ShIZO. This is a room not exceeding 7 square meters, with one window, which is always hung with a piece of iron. The prisoner is there alone, the bunks nailed to the wall are stacked during the daytime, time here has to be spent on his feet or on the floor. In addition, it is always cold and damp in the punishment cell, the prescribed daily ration is reduced. According to Article 118 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation, the period of stay in the ShIZO should not exceed 15 days.

Mode Features

The main feature of the conditions of detention, characteristic only for the Vologda Pyatak, is complete ban on smoking on the island. Since this factor turns out to be very painful for the prisoners, as compensation for the taboo on tobacco, the administration of the institution changed the procedure for escorting prisoners outside the cell. They are required to be handcuffed, but they are not forced to bend their bodies to the ground and extend their outstretched arms behind their backs, as they do, for example, in the White Swan colony.

History of the special regime colony

IK-5 was founded within the walls of the Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery, erected in 1517. After October revolution the building was rebuilt into a prison for "enemies of the revolution" and until Stalin's death was used to hold political prisoners. After 1953, it included especially dangerous criminals convicted of banditry and murder.

Since 1994, only those sentenced to life imprisonment have been sent to this institution.. It was no coincidence that this place was chosen: the impressive one and a half meter thick walls of the monastery reliably protect cruel criminals from the outside world. The island location of the colony gave "Pyatak" another nickname - "Russian Alcatraz" and completely ruled out the possibility of escape: in the entire history of the prison there was not a single case.

parole for convicts

"Vologda Pyatak" holds those sentenced to life imprisonment, but Russian law allows for the possibility of release after serving a sentence of at least twenty-five years.

After this period, the convicted person for parole files a petition with the court. When making a decision, this body is guided by the presence or absence of violations of the regime over the past three years, the employment of the prisoner. So far in Russia there has been only one precedent for the release of a “life-sentenced” prisoner. This happened in February 2018 in the Polar Owl colony.

The most famous prisoners

Each of the prisoners of the colony has a very frightening "track record". But here are a few of them in particular:

• Arasul Khubiev- the organizer of the terrorist attack in Mineralnye Vody in 2001, convicted in 2002.
• Yusup Yunusov- one of the organizers of the explosion of the Government House in Grozny in 2002, convicted in 2004.
• Vasily Shivkoplyas- member of A. Borovkov's gang, killed 15 people, convicted in 2003.
• Artem Anufriev- one of the youngest prisoners, convicted in 2013 for the murder of 6 people.

Mention in popular culture

AT popular culture"Vologda Pyatak" was repeatedly noted:

• In the 1973 film "Kalina Krasnaya" the hero of V. Shukshin comes out of the gates of the colony.
• "Vologda Pyatak" was shown in V. Sergeev's film "Schizophrenia".
• The group "Ori! Zone" has the song "Fire Island", dedicated to the colony.
• "Pyatak" is dedicated documentary“Those who did not live up to life imprisonment” from V. Mikeladze's cycle “People deprived of liberty for life”.

In 2018, the Vologda Pyatak entered the top twenty most terrible prisons in the world along with San Pedro in Bolivia, Ciudad Barriosa in El Salvador and San Quentin in the USA. The ranking was made

Russia Russia

Vologda nickel(FKU IK-5 UFSIN of Russia in the Vologda Oblast) is one of eight correctional colonies of a special regime for life prisoners in Russia.

The colony is located in the former Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery on Novy Lake (Ognenny Island) near the city of Belozersk, in the Belozersk District of the Vologda Oblast.

Story [ | ]

The male Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery was founded in 1517 during the reign of Grand Duke Vasily III Ioannovich by the Monk Cyril Bely, a monk of the Korniliev-Komel Monastery. Since 1764 - 3rd class, Novgorod province, Belozersky district. After the October Revolution of 1917, the monastery was turned into a prison for "enemies of the revolution". During the 1930s and 1940s, there was a colony for political prisoners in the Gulag system. In 1938, Novoezerskaya ITK-14 was located here, after the war ITK-6, LO-17, which in the fifties was reorganized into a strict regime camp. After Stalin's death in 1953, the colony was turned into an ordinary prison for dangerous criminals. In 1956, ITK-17 was installed strict regime for men convicted for the first time for banditry and murder. In 1994, for the first time in the Vologda region and in Russia, a correctional colony was created on its basis with a new type of criminal punishment - life imprisonment. In 1997, the monastery became a prison exclusively for prisoners serving life sentences. After the introduction in 1996 in Russia of a moratorium on the execution of death sentences, these sentences automatically mean life imprisonment.

Currently - one of the seven colonies for life prisoners in Russia ("Vologda Pyatak", IK-5).

According to the Order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation “On changing the type of regime and limits for filling correctional institutions, medical correctional and medical institutions, the creation and liquidation in correctional colonies, medical correctional and medical institutions of isolated areas with various types regime” dated August 17, 2012 No. 162, the filling limit is 505 places, including a strict regime section for 55 places.

There are 192 prisoners in total in the prison.

Fire Island. This is a small piece of land in the middle of the New Lake. It is located in the Belozersky district. Previously, there was a Kirillo-Novoezersky monastery on the island, and now it is a prison. It is often called "Pyatak". This is one of the five correctional colonies of a special regime for life prisoners in Russia.

We went there on April 11 - the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Vologda Oblast organized a press tour dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the colony. By the way, the prison in the former monastery has existed for much longer - since 1917. It was both a prison for "enemies of the revolution" and a high-security camp, and after Stalin's death it became an ordinary correctional facility for dangerous criminals. And only in 1994, on its basis, a colony was created with a new type of criminal punishment - life imprisonment.

From Vologda to "Pyatak" 300 kilometers - about four hours drive. The first head of the colony, Alexei Vasilievich Rozov, is traveling with us. On the way, he tells stories, recalls how he arranged for a prisoner to escape in order to “shake up” the staff. It becomes terribly interesting: how is it there, on Pyatak? And I can't wait to visit the island.

Two bridges separate Pyatak civilization from the civilization. One of them leads to the island "Sweet" - the employees of the colony live there with their families. From it another bridge leads to big land. It is on the "Sweet" that our bus stops. Further - on foot. Over the bridge to Pyatak. You don't feel any darkness there. Maybe it's all because of the magnificent views of the forest and the lake. They also say that the sunsets here are wonderful in their beauty. Probably so much the worse for the prisoners: to see all this through the bars on the window in their cell and understand that you will never find yourself there again ...

The colony is a regime institution. So, of course, you can't just go there. And what can I say: any moving object can be seen from afar: the space is open. In general, no one will remain unnoticed. You can't shoot. But journalists, with special permission from their superiors, can. But Cell phones I had to leave on the bus. They cannot be carried on the territory of the correctional institution, like other gadgets - tablets, etc. By the way, there is still no mobile communication on the island, but rules are rules.

At the entrance, the participants of the press tour are met by the head of the colony Vladimir Gorelov with his deputy Igor Dashkovsky. We are already waiting for passes at the checkpoint. A few doors - and we are on the other side of the walls of "Pyatak". You still don't feel the gloom of the whole situation. The only thing you feel right away is a terrible cold and wind. After all, you are standing on an island in the middle of a lake.

Journalists are immediately told what awaits us in the coming hours. Let's go through the territory, see where the new building will be - there are now construction works, let's look into the already "lived-in" buildings. Journalists vying with each other ask to talk to the prisoners. Allow. But that's later.

The first place they take us to is the Church of the Resurrection. More precisely, there used to be a temple in this building, and even frescoes remained inside. But soon there will be another building - a three-story building for 72 people. Father Alexander, who came to Pyatak with us, talks about the temple and his attitude to the fact that criminals will live in a holy place. Father Alexander was in the colony. He told us that earlier, out of the total number of prisoners at Pyatak, about a third turned to God. Now total number less convicts. But religion began to turn more often. Of the 135 life-sentenced, 67 are almost half.

After the temple, we are taken to a new block where prisoners are kept. Here sit those who arrived not so long ago. For understanding: the first 10 years of convicts for life are waiting for special conditions. They are not allowed calls, long dates. Only two short dates (four hours each) per year are allowed. After 10 years of imprisonment, the conditions soften a little. Long dates are added to short ones - three days each. After a few more years, prisoners are allowed small telephone conversations if a person behaves well, he is allowed to "move" to a single bunk bed and the like.

The new building is designed for 45 people. So far, there are only 13 convicts. In addition to the cells, the block has a laundry room, a medical examination room, a room for communication with a psychologist, and, well, rooms for staff. We, of course, were most interested in the cameras. The journalists were taken to an unoccupied room. It should be noted that the living conditions of local prisoners are very good. Each cell is designed for 2 people. Inside there is a bunk bed, a table at which the convicts eat and write, a bench, a shelf for personal belongings, next to it is a container with boiled water. At the other end is a sink, above it is a shelf and a mirror. The toilet is in a separate room. It has a motion sensor. As soon as a person goes inside, the light turns on. Well, the window. As soon as we approached the Pyatak building, we made no mistake. The view from the chamber is really beautiful.

Conditions are worse in old blocks. But it is understandable. Still, the premises were built by monks - in 2017, the building of the former monastery will turn 500 years old. Of the differences between the new block and the old ones, one can name shooting in cameras. The video devices installed there, and hence the guards, can watch the convicts around the clock. It is because of them that many prisoners do not want to move to a new block. They are ready to live in the worst conditions, just not to walk 24 hours under video filming.

For several minutes we watched the people on the monitor. It can be seen that most are looking out the window. Many have books on their beds and tables.

That's where you start to shake a little, it's at the cells where the convicts are sitting. Each of them has a plate with a photo, information about the person, as well as what he did and what you can expect from him. Almost everyone has it written: prone to escape, self-mutilation and suicide ... As for suicide, these are not just guesses of psychologists working with prisoners. Everyone who has such an inscription on a tablet has had attempts to commit suicide. By the way, psychologists regularly work with convicts. Such rules. In addition to conversations with them, they conduct tests. Experts even define the so-called compatibility of prisoners: who can sit in the same cell with whom, and who cannot.

Sometimes the prisoners themselves ask to separate them. The reason may be the specifics of the crime for which the person is imprisoned. Here is a simple example that a security officer gave us: one of the cells is convicted of murder, two children are waiting for him at home, and a pedophile is placed with him. Naturally, it is clear that there will be a conflict between them. It also happens that newly arrived criminals immediately ask to be "alone", realizing what cellmates can do with them.

At the occupied cells, we were asked to speak in whispers and less. However, I didn't want to talk. It's hard to describe my feelings there. After walking down the corridor and reading a few signs, I was dumbfounded. Yes, that's probably how I can call my condition. It became terrifying and all thoughts disappeared somewhere. “Raped an 8-year-old girl, then killed her”, “Killed 6 people, attempted to kill eight”, “Deliberately killed 9 people”, “Killed a taxi driver, a pregnant woman and her little son"... You know, it's strange to be at a close distance from people whose existence there, in ordinary life trying not to think. And it’s scary even to approach the metal doors, behind which are those whom you are afraid to meet in reality.

I was allowed to look through the window - it is on every cell. Through such windows, the guards can observe what the prisoner is doing. The people on the other side of the door with a mass of bolts stood facing the wall. They were given the command to "prepare to bypass". One glance at the backs of the heads of very young guys who will have to live their whole lives here, in this cell, was enough for me ...

One of the cells for journalists was opened. The youngest prisoner of the colony sits in it - he is 21 years old. They brought Artem Anufriev not so long ago - at the end of January. He was convicted for the murder of 6 people and the attempted murder of eight more. This is one of the sensational "Irkutsk their hammerers" who kept the whole of Irkutsk in fear. Artem, together with his friend, who at that time was only 17, created their own group and, imitating the famous " to the bitse maniac» Alexander Pichushkin, began to "cleanse this world." One of the guards told us a little about Artyom's biography. The boy graduated from high school with a gold medal, studied at a medical school, was never involved for anything ... And you have 6 murders and 8 attempts.

By the way, the head of the colony, Vladimir Gorelov, at the very beginning told us about the peculiarities of recent years: now it is mainly those who have never committed anything illegal that go to life imprisonment. In other words, I've never been involved before. And one more thing: the age of life-sentenced prisoners is decreasing. Increasingly, guys from 20 to 30 years old are brought to Pyatak. Average age prisoners in last years decreased by almost 17 years. And it's scary.

Vladimir Gorelov on reducing the age of life-sentenced prisoners

Artyom's cellmate arrived from Omsk. He was convicted of triple murder. It was made by a drunken man with a friend. As he tells us later, he hardly remembers that day. It seems like he helped kill two. There is nothing more to say. These are the neighbors who will spend at least the next 10 years together.

It was with these prisoners that we were allowed to talk. By the way, the inhabitants of the colony themselves must agree to such conversations. And not everyone likes to communicate with the public. Especially with journalists. The escorts admit that in the press a lot was written about each of the locals, and not always the truth. Therefore, they, to put it mildly, dislike the media.

Artem Anufriev was the first to be brought to us. The 21-year-old boy, with a half-frightened, half-cynical look, first demanded that the cameras be removed. “I've already had enough of journalists. They helped me get here,” Artem argued. The young man began to bargain. He agreed to speak, only if three thousand rubles were transferred to his account. True, after a while he began to answer questions. But monosyllabic and reluctant.

- Do you agree with your punishment?

What didn't suit you in your previous life?

Satisfied everyone.

- Why did you come here?

I will not say.

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Meeting with the youngest prisoner of the Vologda Pyatak.Valeria VERKHORUBOVA

- Do you think the punishment is fair?

- Is what you've done worth staying here?

No, it's not worth it.

- What are you doing here?

I write, I read.

- What do you write?

- Are you or your relatives taking any measures to change the sentence and are you counting on parole?

We take measures, but do not count.

Artyom's neighbor turned out to be, if I may say so, friendlier. Previously, Sergei Tereshchenko worked for railway- was a simple worker on the tracks. In appearance, this is an ordinary hard worker, which is called, “and he won’t hurt a fly.” At home, a resident of Omsk left a wife and two children. Previously, he, like many at Pyatak, was never involved for anything - and immediately for life. As we wrote above, Sergei was convicted of a triple murder.

I signed everything that was given to me. I wanted to soften. And it turned out that he sat down for life, - the prisoner admits.

Unlike his cellmate, Sergei is counting on parole. Promises not to violate discipline and to behave well. True, she admits: the wife no longer waits, does not write.

The guards promise to try to negotiate with another prisoner. But he returns with nothing: he himself does not want to. This is where our communication ends.

What more i can say. On "Pyatak" there is famous people. At least, their crimes thundered throughout the country. For example, one of the participants in the seizure of the school in Beslan is serving his sentence there. The other one blew up the Nevsky Express. On the "Pyatak" there is a murderer, the third convict, to whom Boris Yeltsin had the execution replaced by a life sentence.

Vladimir Ganin became an artist in the colony. We were shown his paintings. Among them there are images of animals, beautiful landscapes. If other prisoners who show talent draw in their cells, then Ganin even has his own workshop. His works can be bought directly in the colony. The price is ridiculous - from 100 to 200 rubles. All this money goes to the prisoner's account. They say that Vladimir Ganin now is humility itself. And before ... And before he killed. But looking at his paintings, you can't tell. Maybe people really do change.

I ask the escort how they treat the convicts. Still, both of them live side by side for years. The employee sighs: “Well, I feel sorry for some.” The deputy head of the colony explains: “We treat prisoners like human beings. But within the law.

Here I digress a little from the story. At Pyatak, the conditions are indeed much more humane than in other similar prisons. There are five of them in Russia. In addition to the Vologda colony, these are the "Black Dolphin", "White Swan", "Black Golden Eagle" and "Polar Owl". Agree, the names are quite poetic. Even though they hide a strict regime and hundreds of dangerous criminals. Somewhere life-sentenced are forbidden to work, and they don’t even take them out for a walk Fresh air, but in special enclosed spaces. Somewhere they drive upside down and with their hands up (by the way, this is what I was waiting for when I went to Pyatak). There is nothing like that in IK-5. A person is serving only the punishment that the court has determined for him. And nothing more than that.

As for pity, it is rather pitiful not even for the prisoners themselves, but for their relatives. Especially those who have children at Pyatak: they are still very young guys. In fact, their mothers are punished even more than the criminals themselves.

Here, it happens. Mother will come, knocking on the door: "Let me in, let me in." And we have no right, - said the employee of "Pyatak".

But what can I say: very few people go on dates. After all, people from all over the country are sitting on the Pyatak. Relatives are not ready to spend a lot of money and time on the road for the sake of a 4-hour meeting.

Save parcels and letters. By the way, all this is printed out before being given to the convicts. Messages are read by a special employee. It is important that they do not contain unnecessary data for the prisoner. About escaping, for example, or about suicide.

Sometimes you see their letters, and even sorry. Mother writes: son, dear. And this son is a maniac and killed many people. And it happens that convicts write such letters. And you won’t believe that the criminal wrote, - says one of the workers of the colony.

Let's talk about the activities of prisoners at the Pyatak. The convict's day is built like this: rise at six in the morning, lights out at ten in the evening. In between - TV, radio, books, work and walks. It is forbidden to sit or lie down on the bed while awake. Such rules. Walks are carried out every day for an hour and a half. They walk in small courtyards, one at a time. And they take out for a walk two by two - who is sitting with whom in the cell. As for books, there are plenty of them in the colony. Of course, detectives and various forbidden literature are not given to prisoners. The rest is possible. There are four TV channels on Pyatak. No one is allowed to watch action films.

Often asked to watch an action movie. And I say: “You have already seen enough in life. Wow, how many killed. Sit down, watch normal films,” the colony employee smiles.

About five thousand rubles are spent per prisoner per month. This content: products, utilities. Salary is not included in this amount. Almost everyone works in the colony. They sew mittens, uniforms, hats. The money is spent on shopping at a local stall. The list is brought to the prisoner and he chooses what he needs. Everything is available except for alcohol. Prisoners also earn money for TV in the cell. On more or less decent, you can earn somewhere in six months. Or the TV can be bought by relatives.

But most of all the thoughts of the prisoners are far from this. Everyone, one way or another, wants to be free. And they have such a chance. Those who behave well can apply for parole. This can only be done after 25 years of imprisonment. True, in the entire history of Pyatak, no one has been released on parole ...

Some tried to break free. But around the colony - water, further - the forest. There is nowhere to run. And no one has ever succeeded. True, there was an attempt. The one that was organized by the former leadership of the colony. Then the prisoner managed to leave the territory of "Pyatak" in a car that takes out the garbage. But he couldn't escape. As told former boss colonies - the man simply got lost in the forest. It was in 1992.

Alexey Rozov about the prisoner's escape from Pyatak

We have a dump about a kilometer and a half from the zone. There, the prisoner was dumped along with the garbage. They come to me and say: “But you don’t have a person in the zone.” I answered: “I know!”. Well, where will he run? We have from "Pyatak" to the first locality- 7 kilometers. If you go through the forest, then you can’t escape at all. The prisoner himself later said: “I got out when I was frightened. I thought: why is this at all. Moreover, he had little time left. Well, he walked around the zone, walked. But the very effect of the escape served further development colonies, - recalls Alexei Vasilyevich.

The fact is that they went to the employees of the colony with complaints locals: "How so: a dangerous criminal was released?". Alexei Rozov said that after such conversations, the guards felt ashamed: such a mistake was made. After that, they became conscientious about the service.

You leave the territory of the colony with mixed feelings. You go to your bus across the bridge, which each of the people sitting on the Pyatak would dream of crossing, and somehow you begin to feel everything around you in a different way.

On the way back, you try to fight off a lot of thoughts. Does not work. What's wrong? Why does it happen that young guys deliberately lock themselves up and deprive the masses of opportunities for a free life for the sake of murder, violence and other atrocities? Whose fault is this: the system, the time in which we live, or ours - human?

On the way to Vologda, Alexei Vasilievich warns us: "Don't think about what you saw." And he adds: “So you can go crazy.” But a few more days after the trip, thoughts return there, to Pyatak. And you again try to imagine what it would be like to spend your whole life in a cell. And again you try to at least a little understand those who are locked up on the island, those who, through their own or other people's fault, will serve a life-long sentence.