Inside Polar Wolf, the sadistic centrepiece of Putin’s gulag archipelago
The prison where Alexei Navalny, Russia’s top opposition leader, died in mysterious circumstances is part of a network of about 700 penal colonies and has a reputation for cruelty.
Even within Russia’s notorious penal colony system, prison FGU IK-3, or the Polar Wolf as it is more commonly known, has a reputation for cruelty.
In winter temperatures of -30, prisoners are ordered to gather outside for morning roll call wearing only light clothing. In spring, swarms of mosquitoes bite through their uniforms. If any of the prisoners flinch, the group is hosed down with water.
