Menu
For free
Registration
home  /  Our children/ Polar bear colony. What awaits convicted director Oleg Sentsov in a new colony in the city of Labytnagi

Polar bear colony. What awaits convicted director Oleg Sentsov in a new colony in the city of Labytnagi

Convicted by a Russian court of creating a terrorist community, Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov changed prison for the third time in the last two years. What awaits Sentsov in the new colony and why is he transferred so often - the "" correspondent looked into it.

How did Sentsov’s “colonial” tour begin?

Ukrainian citizen Oleg Sentsov was convicted on August 25, 2015 by the military court of Rostov-on-Don. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be served in a maximum security colony. During the trial, employees Federal service Security officials declared the Ukrainian director a member of the Right Sector political organization banned in Russia, on whose instructions he allegedly planned explosions on the peninsula.

The first place of his imprisonment in February 2016 was Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region. In September 2017, Sentsov was transferred to correctional colony (IK) No. 18 in the village of Kharpa, and on October 13 - to IK-8 in the city of Labytnangi, also known as the “Polar Bear”.

What is the Polar Bear colony known for?

The prisoners of the “White Bear” are all those who could have been executed if Russia had not introduced a moratorium on the death penalty: terrorists, serial killers and maniacs. But the greatest fame of IK-8 comes from the reputation of the jailers: in the tapes news agencies There are regular reports of beatings and torture at the Polar Bear.

A journalist from Salekhard, who wished not to disclose his name, told “” that although information about ill-treatment of prisoners is received regularly (for example, the Ura.ru portal reported about this back in 2012), no real investigations are carried out.

Human rights activists rarely confirm prisoners' claims of torture. Perhaps these tortures really do not exist. Perhaps the jailers are somehow able to remove traces of the beatings. Perhaps human rights activists themselves are dishonest. The system is so closed that it is extremely difficult to figure out who is right and who is wrong.

Relatives of one of the convicts, who is serving a sentence in the Yamal correctional colony "White Bear" or IK-8, spoke about the beatings and torture that are allegedly inflicted on prisoners. Having been on a date with her husband, the woman, using his words, reported on the conditions of detention of prisoners in the colony, which, in her opinion, are unacceptable.

The colony's leadership declares that this simply cannot happen, but "Polar Bear" regularly appears in emergency reports and prosecutorial reports. Former prisoners complain to human rights activists about unbearable conditions, beatings and lack of clothing, and supervisory authorities even recorded violations of anti-extremist legislation in the colony.

As the wife of one of the prisoners said after a meeting with him, they work for 12 hours or more, in inhumane conditions, at the end of the shift there is sometimes no opportunity to wash in a bathhouse, there is no hot water and even days off. The barracks are damp and cold, people sleep dressed, bed linen is not washed or changed. At the same time, prices in the colony store change every day, used winter clothes are issued, and they do not receive felt boots that prisoners receive from their relatives. The salary of most prisoners is no more than 100 rubles per month. Safety precautions are not observed at production: the necessary tools, protective equipment, mittens, gloves, and respirators are missing.

However, all everyday difficulties cannot be compared with the beatings and torture of prisoners. “They are constantly beaten in the security department and in the operational unit by employees Telman and Morozov,” the author of the letter quotes her husband. - Communicate obscene language, screaming, punching and kicking. The head of the colony, Lieutenant Colonel Mogutov, yells, swears, beats convicts, and conducts rounds in the colony in the evening while drunk. A lieutenant named Arsen beats the convicts and yells obscenely.”

Riot police are brought into the camp several times a month, and convicts who are transferred are beaten by all the officers. “Reception - that’s what they call it, they record it on camera with a phone and grin at each other about who kicked and hit whom where, they mock for several hours. Many cannot stand it and lose consciousness, but they are simply doused with water and continue on,” the woman writes.

The head of IK-8, Lieutenant Colonel Igor Mogutov, in turn, said that there could be no talk of any beatings of convicts by representatives of the colony administration. “As for living conditions, we, of course, do not have a sanatorium, but all the requirements for the life of convicts are met at a decent level,” Mogutov noted.

Meanwhile, “Polar Bear” more than once appeared in prosecutors’ releases and news reports in connection with scandals in which representatives of the colony administration became heroes. In November 2008 against i. O. the head of correctional colony No. 8, a criminal case was initiated under Articles 292 (Forgery of Officials) and 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Excess of Official Powers). Prosecutors revealed that the deputy head of the colony construction produced a fictitious certificate about the repairs performed in the colony buildings; as a result of fraud, 2.1 million rubles were transferred from the budget to the contractor’s accounts.

In December 2009, IK-8 prisoner Oleg Mamonov published through his relatives open letter, in which he stated that in the event of his death, the administration of the colony would be to blame. “Upon arrival at FBU IK-8, the administration beat me three times only on the first evening; they also beat the rest of the convicts who arrived with me in the same convoy. Knowing that I was postoperative, the administration beat me for several days. First they wrapped me with tape and handcuffed me. I cannot appeal against the administration’s illegal, and even criminal, actions due to the fact that complaining to the prosecutor’s office of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia is like death. Secondly: all complaints fall under the personal control of the operatives, after which they again begin to beat me, threaten me, and my complaints are openly destroyed... I ask you to initiate criminal cases against the administration of IK-8. Ensure the safety of me and my witnesses,” the prisoner wrote.

In 2010, the Yamal prosecutor's office revealed violations of criminal law in pre-trial detention center No. 1, IK-8. In particular, there the murderers were kept together with those accused of drug trafficking, and the prisoners were not allowed to go for walks because they did not have shoes, and so on.

In April 2012, the Committee for Civil Rights reported on a complaint with which Alexander Pavlov, who had been released from correctional colony No. 8, came to them. A former prisoner spoke about numerous violations at the Polar Bear. “The bathhouse in IK-8 does not work well - once a week we wash with the whole detachment, for several minutes, under five watering cans. There was obvious overcrowding in the detachments - up to 200 people. It's cold in the barracks; winter shoes are not provided. Items are issued extremely irregularly. During my four years in the colony, I received a quilted jacket only once, and then it was used. There were situations when people were placed in punishment cells, PKT, and SUS for no reason. For example, the administration created provoking situations,” Pavlov said.

The situation in the “White Bear” worries not only the prisoners, but also those who are “on the other side of the barbed wire.” In July 2012, the district prosecutor's office, during an inspection of IK-8, discovered violations of the legislation on countering extremism and terrorism. The colony library did not have a list of extremist materials and the collections and newly received literature were not checked against this list. In addition, violations of the labor rights of correctional facility employees were established.

Based on materials from URA.ru, the official website of the prosecutor's office of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug,

If you are a scientist yourself or simply an inquisitive person, and you often watch or read the latest news in the field of science or technology. It is for you that we have created such a section, which covers the latest world news in the field of new scientific discoveries, achievements, as well as in the field of technology. Only the latest events and only verified sources.


In our progressive times, science moves at a fast pace, so it is not always possible to keep up with them. Some old dogmas are crumbling, some new ones are being put forward. Humanity does not stand still and should not stand still, and the engine of humanity is scientists and scientific figures. And at any moment a discovery can occur that can not only amaze the minds of the entire population globe, but also radically change our lives.


Medicine plays a special role in science, since man, unfortunately, is not immortal, is fragile and very vulnerable to all kinds of diseases. Many people know that in the Middle Ages people lived on average 30 years, and now 60-80 years. That is, life expectancy has at least doubled. This was, of course, influenced by a combination of factors, however big role It was medicine that brought it. And, for sure, 60-80 years is not the limit of an average life for a person. It is quite possible that someday people will step over the 100-year mark. Scientists from all over the world are fighting for this.


Developments are constantly underway in the field of other sciences. Every year, scientists from all over the world make small discoveries, little by little moving humanity forward and improving our lives. Places untouched by man are being explored, primarily, of course, on our home planet. However, work is constantly happening in space.


Among technology, robotics is especially rushing forward. The creation of an ideal intelligent robot is underway. Once upon a time, robots were an element of science fiction and nothing more. But already at this moment Some corporations have real robots on their staff that perform various functions and help optimize labor, save resources and perform hazardous activities for humans.


I would also like to pay special attention to electronic computers, which 50 years ago took up a huge amount of space, were slow and required a whole team of employees to maintain them. And now there is such a machine in almost every home, it is already called more simply and briefly - a computer. Now they are not only compact, but also many times faster than their predecessors, and anyone can understand it. With the advent of the computer, humanity discovered new era, which many call “technological” or “information”.


Remembering about the computer, we should not forget about the creation of the Internet. This also gave a huge result for humanity. This is an inexhaustible source of information, which is now available to almost every person. It connects people from different continents and transmits information at lightning speed, something that would have been impossible to even dream of 100 years ago.


In this section, you will certainly find something interesting, exciting and educational for yourself. Perhaps even someday you will be able to be one of the first to learn about a discovery that will not just change the world, but will change your mind.