Nikolai Usatykh, serving 22 years in Arkhangelsk (or is he just 22 years old?)
Twitter may be all the rage here in the United States, but social networking over the World Wide Web has just jumped over a 15-ft. fence and, barely missing a few coils of barbed wire, landed in the middle of Russia’s brutal penal system. These scary-looking, chronically underfed, TB-infected criminals may be serving twenty to life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have one. With the democratizing power of Internet technology, even the most downtrodden have a voice!
Now, you don’t want to know how they snuck these photos out of their cells or what they did to smuggle the cameras in. Main thing is that once you get an account at Odnoklassniki.ru, you’ll be able to “friend” your favorite zek and start a friendship that will last a decade, at least. Some are somber and introspective, others pretty and simple-minded, while a few, like Dima Khrulyov below, are born with a natural gift with words and philosophy. But don’t expect quick replies to your private messages; it might be a few months or a year or more before you hear back from your new buddy. Sure, they don’t call them Gulags anymore, but visitation hour is still a 72-hour train ride away.
Dima Khrulyov, 23, Niznhy Tagil
“THIEFS’ LIFE, FUCKIN’ A!”
Dima Khrulyov, 23, Niznhy Tagil
Dima Khrulyov, 23, Niznhy Tagil
“LET THEIF-OCRACY PROSPER!”
Dima Khrulyov, 23, Niznhy Tagil
“A LIFE WITHOUT PLEASURE IS NOT WORTH LIVING!”
Oleg Krasilnikov, 22, Ekaterinburg
“I’M IN THE MIDDLE”
Edik-Vadik Usov, 33, Nizhny Tagil
Oleg Krasilnikov, 22, Ekaterinburg
Edik-Vadik Usov, 33, Nizhny Tagil
Sotvoldy Sotvoldiev, 22, Krasnouralsk
And here I am!
Sotvoldy Sotvoldiev, 22, Krasnouralsk
“Not feeling so great!”
Sotvoldy Sotvoldiev, 22, Krasnouralsk
“Me and my homey!”
Sotvoldy Sotvoldiev, 22, Krasnouralsk
“Me and my buddy Galyan!”
Related reading: Nizhny Tagil’s Sex Slave Graveyard
Read more: Odnoklassniki, Prisons, Russia, social networking, twitter, Zek, Team eXiled, Russia, Visual Aid
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12 Comments
Add your own1. Senia | April 21st, 2009 at 3:47 am
What the hell is this? Why are this phoros signed in Ukrainian, or Belorussian or some other provincial untermensch language? People speak Russian in Nizhny Tagil prisons, why shoud they use Ukrainian social network? This article looks like fake
2. Fuckhead | April 21st, 2009 at 5:24 am
chill bro, good pics
3. Senya2 | April 21st, 2009 at 5:32 am
What’s А.У.Е.?
4. Jasen Comstock | April 21st, 2009 at 7:46 am
Do Russian inmates have groupies like American prisoners do? Or do Russian women have inherently more self-esteem then American women as they appear to?
5. Kotek Besar | April 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Inmates at Russian prisons are allowed to dress in civilian clothing?
6. Jacob | April 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
If you friend one of them, they might send you a reply personally within a year or two. Most prison sentences in Russia seem to be extremely light, and if your sentence is longer than three years, you will be probably be pardoned by some kind of bi-annual amnesty law. Unless, of course, you are a murderer or an oligarch who opposed Putin.
Otherwise, contract killer? Or say raped and killed a Chechen girl? 7 years. The 15 year sentence is reserved only for a few exceptional cases, like say renegade Chechens warlords who did not cut a deal with Kadyrov soon enough.
7. Sarpa Di Poli | April 21st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
to Senya2: A.У.E – is just an expression, or to be more correct – an exclamation – pretty much the same like “Аллё, гараж!” or “Слышь!”, or “Ебать-колотить!” etc.
to Jasen Comstock: yes they do have groupies like American prisoners .The self esteem of single-mothered, low-educated, underpaid women is equally low in every society. Trust me, you would like to have groupies like that, unless it’s the only “woman” you are going to be in contact with for the next 2-20 years.
to Kotek Besar: inmates are allowed to wear civil clothing in most of prisons, except the maximum security institutions.
8. Sarpa Di Poli | April 21st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
to Jasen Comstock: sorry for the typo: “… you wouldN’T like to have ….”
9. Kotek Besar | April 22nd, 2009 at 5:31 am
Right… thanks Sarpa Di Poli!
Carpets seem to be the wall decoration of choice in Russian prisons… and inmate Sotvoldy appears to have a pretty large icon collection.
10. Andre | April 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 am
@ Jacob #6
Yes Russian sentences are much shorter than US sentences. But 10 years in a russian prison is probably like 30 years in a U.S. prison…
11. captain america | April 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 pm
i vote for the exile to do an in-depth comparison between russian and american prisons. which is worse? i have no idea. i’d read the article, though. and make lots of comments.
12. Seryoga | April 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! “Ебать-колотить!”
It’s been a long time. God bless!
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