Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
Behind bars in Russia is no fun – in our Documentary about Russia’s toughest prison we show why! Terrorists, gunmen and mafia bosses are serving their life sentences in the Russian penal camp “Vologodski Pjatak”. The fortress on the island of Ognenny was built as a monastery in the 16th century. Later the “Fire Island” was converted into a gulag for enemies of the state after the October Revolution of 1917. Since 1994 it is a maximum security prison for serious criminals. Christoph Wanner is the first western TV reporter to manage to shoot behind the prison walls on the island of the damned.
premiered aug.23 2020
terrorists , assassins, mafia bosses, serial killers ,the russian courts have given them the maximum penalty. life imprisonment.here that really means until the end of their lives.
they are all imprisoned on fire island- the island of the damned
for centuries ,during the time of the tsars the prison was a monastery.
Now it houses 200 dangerous criminals.
no one has ever managed to escape.
Igor :” our walls are between 80 and 150 centimeters thick.you can’t dig a hole through them overnight without being noticed
the island is surrounded by water and swamp land.in the summer , temeratures reach 35 degrees celsius, in winter they can fall to minus 30
there are inmates in this northern russian maximum security prison ,who would prefer the death penalty to continuing their incarceration. in here.
michail: “at the moment , i prefer the firing squad., what do i got to live for anyway?”
A paid jog in the prison sewing shop is a privilege.those who conform are allowed to work here
those who don’t can only escape boredom of their cells during yard time.
pacing round and round in tiny inhuman cages for the rest of their lives.
fire island is reserved for those man wh ocommitted their crimes with particularly lower motives and extreme cruelty.
305 pm. cell number eight wing four.
inmate juri lewanow ,convicted undert section 2 of articles 105 , 1o3, sentence was passed on march 24 2016.in cell 8 there are 8 inmates , three are at work. they will now search the cell for forbidden items
the guards putting the handcuffs on lewanow
hwo has to face the wall while searching the cell. and also search lewanow for items on his body.
sharp and pointed items are forbidden, they could be used as weapons or tools for escaping.
article 105 and 103 of the russian criminal code deal with murder. sex offender and killer lewanow cruelly brutally murdered his girlfriend.
guards search lewanow’s cell. they ‘re looking for anything that could be used as a weapon or a means of escape.
all larger objects are fixed into place to prevent them being used in a riot situation says the deputy prisoner governor.
igor : all secured , the beds are welded to the floor. these cells always accomodate three or four inmates.
the only place with any privacy is the toilet.that ‘s bolted to the floor too.
Igor:“lights ,plumbing system it all works. the ventilator get rid of the smoke very quickly, we can also see everything the men do in their cells through the security cameras.
Igor:“and we can maintain contact with the prisoners through an intercom system without any risk to our self.”
in this cel psychologists and profilers normally work with the prisoners, they compile offender profiles for crime prevention purposes.
Juri:” i’ve committted rape and murder in a very cruel way.i abused my girlfriend. dont know what to say …i injured her internal organs as well.i am ashamed to speak about it… i tore her intenal organs out with my bare hands.
Juri lewanow commmited his first sex offense at the age of seventeen.
wiatscheslaw melnikow/prosecutor:” as a juvenile iwanow was convicted og abusing a nine – year -old girl. he tried to rape her. she was the daughter of his brother’s partner.
pictures from russian television.lewanow had to serve a four .year- term in prison for child abuse.
back outside he murdered aliena sorkina in a garage yard in the central russian city of soronsk
lewanow had met the 21 year old on the internet .
then as he told the police he lured the women here to carry out sexual experiments with her.then suddenly he completely lost control.
lewanow shows the officers where and how he committed the murder.
lewanow:” at first i hit her in the face a few times, so she wouldn’t put up any resistance
wasilij intschin /prosecution:”this police video is admissible as evidence in court. we had a psychiatric assessment done in a clinic and the doctor concluded he was of completely sound mind when he committed the crime. and that is still the case today.”
for this murder for particularly lower motives.lewanow was sentenced to 23 years in a prison camp. the state prosecutors appealed demanding life imprisonment instead.
and they were successful.in russia, life imprisonment literally means detention until the day you die.
theoretically after 25 years there’s a chance to be released for good behavior or medigating circumstances and that is what lewanow is hoping for.
he claims that at the time of the offense he was not responsible for his actions because he was under the influence of drugs.
juri:” i smoked spice during my first prison term and after i was released i used more often,it’s so easy to get. the dealer ust leave it ina pre- arranged place.one dose costs 1500 or 2000 rubles. this synthetic stuff changes you , make you aggressive.
2000 rubles are about 28 euros. reduced responsibility.
remorse, good behavior , that’s the strategy lewanow hopes may enable him
to leave fire island after 25 years.
up to now no one who has been sentence to life imprisonment in russsia has ever been released.
when the times comes, much will depend on the assessments of psychologists .
” Ognennyy Ostrov” the fire island is russia’s oldest maximum security prison
surrounded by sparsely populated marshlands.the once orthodox monastery looms above lake novozro, similar to alcatraz in san fransisco bay.
the penitentiary ik5 lies around 600 kilometers north of moscow surrounded by
the 12 square kilometer lake.
the neighboring island of slaadki
which means sweet.
is mainly home to prison guards.many of them still live in run-down wooden huts from soviet days.
in some places on lake navajoro, time seems to have stood still.
the monastery was founded on the island by saint cyril in the 16th century
and because torches burned there at night.the people in the surrounding villages came up with the name island of fire.
the october revolution in 1917, swept the largely atheist bolsheviks to power.
they drove out the monks and converted the monastery into a gual for enemies of the state.
in 1994 fire island became msximum security prison for dangerous criminals,
a place of no return.
igor dashkosvsky is the deputy prison governor, he’s been working on fire island 11 years and know it like the back of his hand.
security rounds , several times a day.prison guards check the walls and fences.
exlusion zone. no admission.
we are here at the entrance to the prison.detained behind this walls there are 189 men. each of them has been sentenced to life . terrorists, serial killers, sex offenders, gang bosses and murderers. they´ve committed a variety of crimes.
Igor:“right behind the entrance is the prison’s administration and the prisoner’s wing are next to each other.because we are on a small island.
when the building was a monastery there used to be water here. boats went through the north gate directly to the church of the resurrection of christ.
now we going into the living quarters. “
by living quarters dashkowskij means the maximum security. cells in the former church of the resurrection.
checkpoint 2.prisoner’s wing.
the living area is relativey compact with four buildings.
wing four was renovated two years ago.foundations and walls are historic. this is the former monastery church of the resurrection of christ.
here on the right is wing 1.it’s currently being renovated. all the buildings meanwhile have running water and are coneccted to the sewage system. there are new security cameras every where. and recently installed a ventilation system.
the ventilation system means that during the warmer seasons at least some of the windows can be kept closed. because once the sow is gone.clouds from mosquitoes from the neighboring marshes plague the entire island. in the summer temeratures can reach 35 degree celsius,in winter they can fall to minus 30.
in this wing there are 88 prisoners 21 present the risk of escape.
we are in wing four . which underwent a complete refurbisment two years ago. during the building work it discovered historic frescoes and had them restored.
why was monastery like this converted into a prison? it was an obvious choice because of its location on an island.
water is the perfect escape barrier.up to now there hasn’t been one serious attempt to escape.
that’s because beyond the lake there only swamps and forests.so no one knos which direction to take.
the monastery walls are between 80 and 150 centimeters thick, there’s no way anyone can dig a hole through them over night without being notice.
in each wing there are at least one bathroom.the inmates of each cell all go to the showers together. that’s three or four men at a time.
when they finished the next one goes in one cell after the other.it’s for security reasons ,the hot water comes from the boilers.
there are 45 lifers in this building each of them takes a shower twice a week.
no security cameras in the shower, they have their privacy. the guard locks this door. and checks everything from through the little window on the door.
video surveillance in the bathroom is against the law.
this is our medical wing.
this is the medical doctor. his in charge.
on the left and right are the treatment rooms.
this is the isolation room.if the inmate catches something infectious he’s put in this cell so he wont pass it on to anyone else.
we can treat dental problems as well. the dotctor comes once a month or more ofthen if it’s needed.
and if any inmates need an injection or an intravenous drip , that all happens in this room.
the island of fire an almost self- sufficient maximum security prison in the middle of nowhere.only food supplies need to be delivered.
there’s even a sewing shop. it stands on the site of old russian orthodox graves.
cells for dangerous criminals in the church of the resurrection of christ.
frescoes in the prison computer room.the founder of the monastery ,cyril of navajoro
many former atheist inmates have meanwhile found solace in the russian orthodox faith.
the murderer mikhail bukharov has documented his path to religion in tattoos . he stabbed an aquantaince 48 times.more or less dismembering him.
he was afraid the Aquitaince would press charges against him after committing a robbery.
michail found his way to god in prison,after the sentence of death by firing aquad 1994
so why wasn’t the sentence carried out? because there was a moratorium on death penalties
michail says the death penalty converted him.
the moratorium on the death penalty has been in force in russia since 1996.bukharov meanwhile is in favor of it ending.
michail: at the moment i would prefer to be shot.what am i supposed to do here? what have i got to live for? some have bneen here for 30 years.nobody gets out alive.
michail believes the only way he´ll leave fire island is in a coffin.because he committed a particularly brutal murder.
for him the 48 stab wounds are a death penalty in installments
seven o’clock in the morning.the early shift takes over.more patrols . walls and fences are checked again.
in the prison sewing shop too , the working day begins.
the prisoners here are volunteers.the job is a privilege.anyone hoping to get out after 25 years does his best to get his hands on one of the few sewing machines to earn money for a life and freedom.
sex offender and killer lewanow firmly believes he will leave the island alive one day. he stoically endures all the strict security measures.
the men make life jackets,souvenirs and working clothes for a privat company in moscow.
about 100 euros a month is the top salary on the prison island.
“this is thing we make here.souvenires ,life jackets for children too , working cloths for medical staff,buidling workers , security straff and welders. with the lining for winter.”
some inmates like lewanow also make so- called compensation payments to the relatives of their victims. 2 million rubles.2 million rubles is the equivalent about 28 600 euros.
after work they go out to the exercise yard to hours are allowed each day , but only few of them take full advantage of this opportunity.
in winter there’s usually an icy wind blowing off lake navajoro and in summmer the inmates are plagued by countless mosquitos.
their yard time taes place in these small rusty cages. that’s the extent of their freedom of movement…in human conditions.one prisoner to each cage.
most guards know rougly whatcrimes the prisoners have committed but don’t really bother with the details.- a matterof self-protection so they dont become emotionally brutalized themselves.
analysing cxrimes is a psychologist’s job. it’s to them to say wheter a lifer is theoretically mature enough allowed out on parole after 25 years.
daylight , a few steps without handcuffs and no cellmates to distube him
sex offender and liller lewanow tries to keep himself alive mentally to the power of positivite thinking.
Juri” life imprisonment has nothing to do with the end of your life, every human being lives, learns, works and despite all the adversities, tries to start a new chapter in their lives.
with the brutality of their crimes murderers like lewanow have clearly crossed a line. that’s the main criticism of the deputy prison governer.
Igor:” as a human being’m in favor of him being executed for the brutal murder of his girlfriend as a prison officer i´m against death penalty. because as a lifer ,he´s confronted with his crime everyday, every minute of his life.and in line with current practice. that will continue until the day he dies.”
many prison officers consider life imprisonment to be harder punishment than death. these men don’t believe that lewanow will ever be released
they think his remorse and admission of guilt are just an act with every action and reaction geared precisely to secure his release in 25 years. thus escaping his responsibility
the sex offender and killer’s relatives obviously take a similar view.
none of them want anything to do with lewanow.
some contact would certainly be possible even personal meetings between offender and family are possible on fire island.
the only condition is that the prison authorities must have no security concerns.
only those showing good behavior can expect permission to receive visitors.
there are even special small apartments for these visits in the former monastery.
there are two apartments. where inmates and their families can meet.
in the first ten years of imprisonment t’s once a year for three days after that for good behavior two such visits can be arranged per year.
this is the childrens room a maximum of two adults and one child are allowed.they have to present documents,showing they´re close relatives.
here’s the kitchen.
check everything.”
and back here are the toilet and shower.
so how can you guarantee that a prisoner on a life sentence wont do any harm to his wife or his parents?
Igor :” we can’t guarantee anything. that’s why every inmate s screened thoroughly before any kind of meeting take place.if we thin there won’t be any problems.we give the green light.
so have anything ever happened?
Igor :” no , the prisoners have enough brains not to do anything. after all , it´s their wives, parents, and children visiting them.during the approval process we check through all their letters.we make sure there are no insults going back and forth.
besides fire island, there are five other maximum security prisonns in russia.
in these institutions almost 2 000 men are serving life sentences.maximum security prisons are very different from the widespread prison camps.
this one lies about 1 000 kilometers southeast of fire island in the town of yavas . in the republic of mordovia.
we are no entering a camp where only former state officials are detained.prison commander schaliew take us through the prison camp.
the criminals in prison camps are slightly less dangerous then those in maximum security prisons.
freedom of movement is significantly greater and the men live in so -called barracks rather then cells.
some have also committed serious crimes however.
former police officer victor saliev is here for double murder.he was a member of a mafia clan and was sentenced to 17 years in imprisonment.
victor:” i didn’t kill ordinary people, they were members of a rival gang.i shot them.”
all in all ,there are about 650 000 men incarcerated in russia’s prison camps .
morning roll call.this is done several times a day by the camp authorities to make sure all prisoners are still present.
in contrast to maximum security prisons,like fire island.attempt to escape are not uncommon here.
Oleg:some dig tunnels, other try to ram their way out using camp vehicles, there are countless stories.
the daily routine is strictly regulated, breakfast , work,lunch ,back to work, evening meal, free time, bedtime.
the days in the camps are very similar to those in the maximum security prisons.
the food hut. prisoners cook and bake for prisoners.
in most russian prison camps there’s a kind of cast system.
the topmost cast is made up of the crime bosses.in the second cast are the common criminals.
like saliev- both groups avoid the lowest caste,prison informers and homosexuals.
saliev:“no there is no caste system here everyone’s equal you can all sit where you want”
wether this answer is true is difficult to say.western camera crews don’t have enough time in the prisons to find out what the inmates really think.
igor: this is wat we call the industrial area. here there’s a sewing shop and a pasta factoy. we also grow our own vegetables we keep the food here. the textiles go to clients private companies.
pasta production inthe yavas prison camp. here too there are parallels to the maximum security prison.
work is the reward for good behavior , those behaving badly are condemned to just sitting around. working means good behavior , good behavior can mean parole.
early release is definitely a realistic possibility in prison camps.in maximum security prisons that’s not yet the case , due to the high risk for the population.
when the shift’s over they return to their barracks, the prisoners are not allowed to take any pointed objects out with them only those who submit unconditionally can have any hope of being released early from this hellish place.
back to fire island on lake navajoro in northen russia .
there are a few inmates who are not serviing life sentences, drug dealers, thieves,protection racketeers. their job is to provide for the lifers.
Igor: we have our own bakery.this is where we bake bread for the inmates and for sale as well.
rather less dangerous inmates do the baking and cooking for their extremely dangerous comrades
this our kitchen where the food for thel ifers is prepared.
soup ,tuna sallad, meat.because a western camera crew is here today it’s difficult to say whether lifers are getting some kind of special feast from their fellow inmates.
in russian prisons inmates are used for all kinds of work.in order to save personnel costs.
cooks ,bakers, heating fitters, electricians , welders,the list of the jobs the inmates do as long.35 prisoners keep thishigh security running on a day -to- day basis.
but the prisoners are of course not allowed to work in any security relevant areas. those serving life sentences have their food brought to their sells three times.
bringing them all together i one dining hall is out of the question,it would be too dangerous.
many of those imprisoned on fire island don’t believe they will ever be out on parole after 25 years ,so they have nothing to lose.
they could attack guards or fellow inmates or try to take hostages to exchange for their freedom.
some of the men are not satisfied with the size of the portions and one inmate wants some more meat.
Igor: just take your plate, do i have to tell you again?
inmate takes the plate . now he doesn’t want more pasta.
Igor: some lifer like to write letters to the state prosecution service , complaining they they are badly treated or not being giving their toiletries. its all lies.they bored and they want little bit attention. most of the don’t want to get involved in all this nonsense with complaints.
human rights organizations from the west and in russia, see this matter differently. according to human rights watch and memorial the russian prison system is arbitray and violent.the camera crew have seen no evidence of such conditions.
however,only hand -picked inmates like lewanow are allowed to speak in presence of western journalists. not a single word of criticism comes out of his mouth.
the sex offender and killer knows all to well that his slim hope of parole would otherwise be completely compromised.
christopher wanner : what´s the earliest you could get out of here?
lewanow: parole after 25 years.
Christopher Wanner: what does that depend on most?
lewanow: good behavior
Christopher Wanner: but this 25-year thmg has never happened yet ,has it?
lewanow:i don’t know, honestly.
christopher wanner: but you’ve still got hope.
lewanow: yeas i still have hope
total submission, no answering back, and don’t do anything wrong.from his own experience yuri lewanow knows the rules of the game that can get him paroled
in his frst term for child abuse the good behavior strategy had worked.but there is one decisive difference between then and now. at that time lewanow was in a normal prison camp.
now after having committed a particularly brutal murder he’s serving a sentence of life imprisonment on the island of the damned.