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)

 


[Russia] - Ukrainian Strike on Occupied Southern Village Kills 3-- Russian-Installed Official


Moldovan President Visits Ukraine for Energy, Security Talks


Zelensky Warns Putin Wants to 'Manipulate' Trump on Ukraine


Russia Might Not Have Invaded Ukraine if Trump Had Been President, Putin Says


Oil Found Along Ukraine’s Southern Coast After Russian Tanker Spill


Russia and Ukraine Exchange Bodies of Over 800 Soldiers


[Russia] - Sanctions Create Opportunities for Chinese Tech Companies in Russia


Protesters in Transnistria Demand Gas Supplies From Moldova Amid Energy Crisis


[Russia] - Kazakhstan Denies Leaked Transcript Came From Downed Azerbaijani Plane's Flight Recorder


[Russia] - Kremlin Seeks to Resume Nuclear Disarmament Talks With U.S.The Kremlin stated Friday that it wishes to restart nuclear disarmament talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration as quickly as possible, after tensions over the war in U


Belarus’ Lukashenko Is a Shoo-In for His Seventh Election as President


Major Russian Microchip Factory Halts Production After Ukrainian Drone Strikes


[Russia] - Russian Overnight Air Attacks Near Kyiv Kill At Least 3


[Russia] - Validated Russian Deaths in Ukraine War Exceed 90K


Ukraine Orders Children To Evacuate From Northeastern Towns


Russia Rejects U.K. Accusations of Targeting Undersea Cables


Russian Court Jails Man Accused of Spying for U.S.


Belgorod Police Investigate Hospital Staff After Homeless Man’s Death


Former Finnish President ‘Annoyed’ Europe Not Talking to Kremlin About Ending War


Russia’s Yura Borisov Nominated for Best Supporting Actor at 2025 Oscars


[Russia] - Pro-War Singers to Tour Russian Schools With 'Patriotic Music Lessons'


‘We’re Not Thieves’: Mariupol Residents Plead With Putin to Replace Destroyed Homes


[Russia] - Kyiv Claims Russian Forces Killed 6 Captured Ukrainian Troops


Russian Independent Media Uncover Dozens of Faked Stories by Freelance Reporter


Russians Remain Top Property Buyers in Turkey


[Russia] - U.S. Podcaster Lex Fridman Says He Plans to Interview Putin


[Russia] - Moscow Remains 'Ready' for Dialogue Despite Trump Threats, Kremlin Says


Belgorod Region Border Village Ordered to Evacuate Amid Ukrainian Attacks


Putin Believes Key Ukraine War Goals Achieved – Reuters


Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Zaporizhzhia Kills At Least 1


Trump Tells Putin to Make Ukraine Deal 'Now' or Face Tougher Sanctions


Russians Launch Campaign To Find Loved Ones Behind Front Line


U.K. Minister Warns Putin as Royal Navy Tracks Russian ‘Spy Ship'


[Russia] - Imprisoned Gulag Historian Yury Dmitriyev Sent to Punishment Cell, Rights Group Says


[Russia] - Son of Key Putin Aide Holds Western Investments Despite Sanctions


[Russia] - Russia Adds Exiled Politician Gozman to 'Terrorists and Extremists' List


Around 1K North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting for Russia – BBC


Russian Court Upholds Life Sentence in Zakhar Prilepin Car Bombing Case


[Russia] - Russia's First and Only Black Politician Dies at 65


Russian Lawmaker Calls for Cold Case Investigation Into Lermontov’s Death


[Russia] - 'They Destroyed Everything': With Russia Gone, Syrians Begin a Long, Painful Process of Rebuilding


Russian Troops Capture Kharkiv Region Village Amid Westward Advance


[Russia] - Russia and Uzbekistan Sign Military Strategic Partnership Plan


Syria Terminates Russian Naval Base Deal – Reports


‘Did Not Push Hard Enough’: Navalny Lawyer Speaks of Regrets


Russia Blasts U.S. Reinstatement of Cuba on Terror List


[Russia] - 'It Feels Like the Government Doesn't Need United States': Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas


Russian Army Chief Gerasimov Visits Troops Near Pokrovsk


Cocaine Smuggling Into Russia Up Tenfold Since Invasion of Ukraine


[Russia] - Vologda Becomes First Russian City to Introduce Patriotic Lessons for Kindergarteners


Putin and Xi Tout Growing Partnership During Video Call


[Russia] - Russia's 2024 Harvest Falls Below Expectations on Bad Weather and Supply Chain Woes


Finland Seizes Tanker Suspected of Damaging Baltic Sea Cable – Yle


[Russia] - Knight Statue Removed From Depths of Lake Baikal After Public Outcry


[Russia] - Saratov Region Orders Restaurants to Help Fund Ukraine War Effort


Putin ‘Destroying Russia’ by Refusing Ukraine Deal, Trump Says


[Russia] - Russian Army Says 55 Ukrainian Drones Intercepted Overnight, Oil Depot Catches Fire


[Russia] - Kremlin Critic Khodorkovsky Says Attending Trump Inauguration


[Russia] - Russia Reacts to Trump's Inauguration With Cautious Enthusiasm


[Russia] - North Korean POW Tells Ukrainian Interrogators About Major Troop Losses


[Russia] - Putin Congratulates Trump Ahead of Inauguration, Signals Readiness for Dialogue


[Russia] - Moscow Activist Detained, Taken to Military Enlistment Office During Police Raid


[Russia] - Ukrainian Attack on Occupied Kherson Kills At Least 2, Moscow-Backed Governor Says


Iran Seeks To Expand Nuclear Power Cooperation With Russia’s Rosatom


Transnistria Ready to Buy Gas From Moldova, Kremlin-Backed Leader Says


[Russia] - Russia Charges British Man Captured Fighting in Kursk With 'Terrorism'


[Russia] - Siberian Police Arrest Military Officer Filmed Beating Soldiers


Where Russia, Ukraine and Trump Stand as Possible Peace Talks Loom


[Russia] - Why Has the Black Sea Oil Spill Been So Devastating for SeabirdsMore than a month has actually passed considering that 2 two oil tankers started dripping countless tons of oil into the Black Sea after being harmed in a storm. The spill trigger


[Russia] - Ukrainian Drones Target Industrial Plants in Russia's Tatarstan


[Russia] - Moscow Accuses Ukraine of Killing Civilians in Occupied Border Region


[Russia] - Russians Take Epiphany Dip In Waters Hit by Oil Spill


[Russia] - Germany Could Send Troops to Future Ukraine Buffer Zone: Minister


[Russia] - Telegram Boss Durov Admits 'Seriousness' of Allegations: Source


[Russia] - Russian Attack Kills Three in Kyiv


Russia Designates Draft Dodging Nonprofit as ‘Foreign Agent’


Russian Police Issue Arrest Warrant for IStories Chief Editor


‘Horrific’: Russia’s Indigenous Activists Decry Sweeping ‘Terrorist’ Designation


[Russia] - Russian Activist Konstantin Kotov Flees Russia Ahead of 'Extremism' Trial


Russia Charges Opposition Politician Shlosberg With Violating ‘Foreign Agent’ Law


[Russia] - Russian Missile Attack on Kryvyi Rih Kills 4


Russian-Israeli Hostage to Be Freed in First Stage of Hamas-Israel Peace Deal


[Russia] - Czech Beer Exports to Russia Surge in 2024


[Russia] - Russian Army Claims Liberation of Over 60% of Occupied Kursk Territory


Moscow Police Search Home, Detain Parents of Exiled Opposition Figure Yashin


[Russia] - Antidepressant Sales Reach Record High in Wartime Russia


Former Navalny Lawyers Sentenced to Prison on ‘Extremism’ Charges


‘I’m a Real-Life Katyusha’: As Russia Hikes Payments for Soldiers, Their Wives Flaunt Newfound Affluence


Trump Team Eyes Oil Sanctions Strategy to Broker Russia-Ukraine Peace – Bloomberg


'Out of Control': Russia's CPI Inflation Up Again to 9.5% in December


Russia Labels Canadian Tech Company OpenText ‘Undesirable’


North Korean Troops to Join Russia’s Victory Day Parade for First Time – NHK


[Russia] - Kremlin Hopes Gaza Ceasefire Can Lead to 'Comprehensive' Settlement


Russian Prison Where Navalny Was Held Set to Close


[Russia] - Lots of Volunteers Seek Medical Help Amid Black Sea Oil Spill Clean Up, Health Officials Say


[Russia] - Russian Soldier Jailed for Accidentally Shooting Down Friendly Helicopter


Ukrainian Army Says It Captured 27 Russian Soldiers in Kursk Region


Comments (0)

    Attach images by dragging & dropping or by selecting them.
    The maximum file size for uploads is MB. Only files are allowed.
     
    The maximum number of 3 allowed files to upload has been reached. If you want to upload more files you have to delete one of the existing uploaded files first.
    The maximum number of 3 allowed files to upload has been reached. If you want to upload more files you have to delete one of the existing uploaded files first.
    Posting as