Russia

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been located at a prison colony in Russias Arctic, his team said Monday, ending a frantic three-week search for the opposition figures whereabouts.Navalnys spokeswoman said he had been found at the IK-3 prison colony in Kharp, a settlement in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district some 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow.Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov called IK-3, which was founded in 1961 on the site of a former Soviet gulag forced labor camp, one of the most northern and remote prison colonies in Russia.Navalnys team and activists linked his transfer to the upcoming presidential elections in March in which President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win re-election, describing it as an attempt to isolate the opposition politician.Impossible to escapeThe conditions [in special-regime colonies] are quite terrible, it is clear that this is detention in maximum isolation, human rights defender Igor Kalyapin told The Moscow Times.
I think that Navalny was sent so far precisely in order to ensure this maximum possible physical isolation, so even taking a trip there would be a problem.IK-3 is known for holding Platon Lebedev, a one-time business partner of exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in the 2000s.
Lebedev was convicted of tax evasion, money laundering and fraud in what he and his supporters maintained was a politically motivated case.IK-3 has always functioned as a colony for especially dangerous repeat offenders, Russian journalist Leonid Nikitinsky, who visited Kharp in 2006, said in an article for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, adding that the area sees harsh weather conditions.A view of Kharp.Valery Zatolochny (CC BY 3.0)Ivan Vostrikov, Navalnys former Tyumen regional coordinator who also visited Kharp, saidit is almost impossible to escape from there there are hundreds of kilometers of tundra on one side, and the mountains of the Polar Urals on the other.Despite the colonys physical isolation, IK-3 is connected to the Zonatelecom electronic letter service, independent Russian journalist Farida Rustamova noted.Accounts from current and former IK-3 prisoners describe a particularly harsh environment with barebones living conditions along with physical and psychological brutality.Some prisoners complained about a lack of clothing and other essentials in the colony, the independent media outlet Vyorstka said, citing court filings.Convict Maxim Bakhvalov, who served a sentence in IK-3 from 2017-2020, claimed that upon his arrival at the colony, he was only provided with one pair of winter boots and a worn-out suit.Another prisoner, Sergei Chesnokov, claimed he was frequently ill after his clothes became unusable and the prison administration failed to provide replacements, Vyorstka said.Inmate Sergei Sheikhin filed a lawsuit against the colony in 2022, complaining that his unit was confined in a cell lacking natural light and hot water.The Yamal-Nenets autonomous districts Prosecutor's Office at leasttwice since last year reported non-compliance with labor protection laws, fire safety regulations and sanitary standards at IK-3.Kharp railroad station.Vasyatka1 (CC BY-SA 4.0)Last year, the Federal Antimonopoly Service also included IK-3 which can house up to 1,050 prisoners, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service on its register of unreliable contractors.Other prisoners reported experiencing psychological stress due to their conditions, Vyorstka said.Some even accused prison guards of torture.When prisoners enter the colony, they are taken to the bathhouse.
When a person undresses and goes to wash, the water is turned off and people in masks come in and start beating him.
With me, this lasted for about half an hour.
There were about 15 people both prisoners and employees, said convict Mikho Khulilidze, who served his prison term in IK-3.They put me on the floor and beat me with batons and fists on my buttocks, my head, my face, my ribs.
They did not provide any medical assistance, Khulilidze said.
we have a small favor to ask.As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government.
This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced.
Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken.
But we need your help to continue our critical mission.Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference.
If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $1.
It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism.
Thank you.Continue





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Trump Says He’s ‘Very Unhappy’ With Putin Call, Hints at New Sanctions


Russia Removes Peace Symbol from School Textbook Cover


[Russia] - Head of Moscow Region's Azerbaijani Diaspora Stripped of Russian Citizenship


Russia Adds 14-Year-Olds to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List


[Russia] - What Ukraine Is Missing as U.S. Holds Back Air Defense and Battlefield Weapons


[Russia] - Russian Firms Seek North Korean Translators to Support Influx of Workers


[Russia] - Dutch and German Intelligence Say Russia Increasingly Uses Chemical Weapons in Ukraine


[Russia] - Russia Carries Out 8th Prisoner Exchange With Ukraine Since Istanbul Talks


[Russia] - Professionals: Russia Recognizing Taliban Rule in Afghanistan Largely a Symbolic Move


Storm Batters St. Petersburg With High Winds, Rising Water Levels


St. Petersburg Naval Parade Canceled Over Security Concerns – Fontanka


[Russia] - Russian Car Market Expected to Contract by 24% This Year


[Russia] - Transneft Vice President Dies in Apparent Fall From Window, Reports Say


Russia Launches Largest Air Attack Since Invasion as Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Woman in Rostov


Russia Becomes First Country to Recognize Taliban Government


Chechnya's Dependence on Federal Funding Hits New High


No Way Home: The Exiled Russian Speakers Fighting Their Own War in Syria


[Russia] - Russian Tycoons Earn Record $20 Billion in Dividends Amid Recession Worries


[Russia] - Russians Report Nighttime Police Raids in Azerbaijan as Tensions Flare


Former Kremlin-Backed Mayor of Luhansk Killed in Explosion


Putin Congratulates Trump on U.S. Independence Day During Hourlong Call


[Russia] - Russian-Made Jet Prices Soar as Moscow Struggles to Ditch Boeing and Airbus


Teen Facing Death Threats From Family Disappears in Ingushetia, Rights Group Says


Britain Links Azerbaijani Traders With Rosneft Ties to Russia’s Shadow Fleet


[Russia] - Russian Deputy Navy Commander Killed in Kursk Region


Russia Moves to Nationalize Country’s Third-Largest Gold Mining Firm


Orenburg Mayor Resigns to Continue Military Service in Ukraine


Durov Hints at Anti-Telegram Smear Campaign as Russia Readies Homegrown Competitor


FSB Arrests Woman Who Tried to Place Bomb Under Defense Worker’s SUV


[Russia] - Elderly Woman Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strike on Lipetsk Region


Emergency Contraceptives Disappear from Russian Pharmacies – Vyorstka


[Russia] - Putin Signs Decree Seeking to Lure Foreign Investors Into Russian Stock Market


Khakassia Governor Vetoes Local Government Reform Bill


[Russia] - From Plane Crash to Deadly Arrests: What's Behind the Russia-Azerbaijan Standoff


[Russia] - Kids of Russian Soldiers Increasingly Placed in State Care, Regional Officials Say


Russian Companies See Sharp Rise in Wage Arrears


Putin Praises Kyrgyzstan for ‘Special Status’ of Russian Language


Azerbaijani and Russian Investigators in ‘Constant Contact’ Amid Diplomatic Crisis


Russia’s Natural Gas Exports to Europe Plunge to Historic Lows


Security Forces Raid Russia's Third-Largest Gold Producer Over Environmental, Safety Violations


[Russia] - Kremlin Welcomes Halt in U.S. Arms Shipments to Ukraine


Fatal Car Crash Sparks Anti-Roma Protests in Saratov Region


Foreign Automakers Scale Back New Model Launches in Russia


Anti-War University Student in St. Petersburg Released From Prison


Russia Eyes Industrial Levy to Shield Domestic Producers and Plug Budget Gaps


[Russia] - Yekaterinburg Court Places 6 Azerbaijanis in Pre-Trial Detention Amid Cold-Case Probe


[Russia] - Macron Urges Ukraine Ceasefire in First Call With Putin Since 2022


[Russia] - Taliban Diplomat to Take Role as Moscow Ambassador


Russia’s VTB Reports Increase in Overdue Retail Loans


[Russia] - Kremlin Launches Online Bot Campaign to Defend Steep Utility Rate Increases


[Russia] - Su-34 Crashes During Training Flight in Central Russia


[Russia] - Russia to Disconnect Foreigners Who Have Not Submitted Biometric Data From Mobile Internet


[Russia] - Ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison


Kremlin Dismisses Trump Envoy’s Claim That It Is Stalling Peace Talks


[Russia] - Russian Manufacturing Activity Sees Sharpest Decline Since Early Months of Ukraine Invasion


[Russia] - Azerbaijan Launches Murder Probe After Autopsy Finds Brothers Died From Beatings in Russian Police Custody


[Russia] - Russia's Top Ferroalloy Producer to Cut Workweek Amid Metallurgy Crisis


[Russia] - Russia Now Occupies All of Ukraine's Luhansk Region, Kremlin-Installed Official Says


[Russia] - Ukrainian Drone Attack on Izhevsk Kills 3 and Wounds Dozens More


[Russia] - Ukrainian Drone Attack on Izhevsk Kills and Wounds Multiple People


[Russia] - Kim Jong Un Honors North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting for Russia


[Russia] - Significant Kuzbass Coal Mine Halts Operations, Leaving Hundreds Without Pay


Financial Insecurity Is Russians' Top Reason Not to Start a Family & Poll


[Russia] - Leading Russian Coal Producer to Receive State Support Amid Deepening Industry Crisis


Mariupol Children Undergo Pro-Russian Indoctrination at St. Petersburg ‘Wellness Camps’


Prosecutors Seek Criminal Charges Against YouTuber Yury Dud Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Violations


[Russia] - Sberbank Approves Record $10Bln Dividend Payout


[Russia] - Government Price Caps Put Russia's Breadmakers in Jeopardy, Producer Warns


‘Jesus of Siberia’ Cult Leader Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison


FSB Recruits Ukrainian Teenagers for Espionage and Sabotage – FT


[Russia] - Samara Region Police Open 'Nazi Rehabilitation' Probe After Teenagers Sing Ukrainian Song


Russian Advances Toward Sumy Continue – WSJ


Russia Moves to Limit Exemptions for Military Conscripts


[Russia] - Lavrov Warns West Against Backing 'Color Revolution' in Serbia as Protests Heat Up


[Russia] - Azerbaijan-Russia Rift Deepens After Deaths of Azeri Men in Police Arrests