This article describes the harsh realities of life in a maximum-security prison in northern Siberia, known as Polar Owl. The prison is home to some of Russia's most notorious inmates, including serial killers, terrorists, and mafia bosses.
The article focuses on Alexander Pietsch, a serial killer who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering 48 people between 1992 and 2006. Pietsch, who is considered the most dangerous serial killer in Russian history, is interviewed by the filmmakers and shows no remorse for his crimes. He claims that he needed to kill in order to feel alive and that he would continue to do so if he were ever released.
The article also highlights the harsh conditions in the prison, including the lack of access to basic amenities and the strict rules that govern the inmates' daily lives. The prisoners are allowed only two hours of fresh air per day and are forbidden from having physical contact with visitors.
Despite the harsh conditions, the inmates find ways to occupy themselves, including working in the prison's sewing department and playing chess. The article notes that the prison is a place where hope is lost, and the inmates are forced to live out their days in a state of limbo, with little prospect of ever being released.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The destination of the trip is a high-security prison in northern Siberia, Russia.
2. The prison is located 2,500 kilometers northeast of Moscow.
3. The prison is home to 305 life sentences, including terrorists, gunmen, mafia bosses, and serial killers.
4. Alexander Pietsch, also known as the "chessboard murderer," is a serial killer who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for 48 counts of murder.
5. Pietsch has been incarcerated in the prison since his conviction.
6. Pietsch's crimes were committed between 1992 and 2006.
7. He targeted alcoholic people, both men and women, and invited them to a vodka picnic where he would kill them with a hammer.
8. Pietsch's victims were thrown into a sewer, and their bodies would reappear somewhere in the city.
9. The police were faced with a mystery for a long time, and Pietsch was eventually caught and convicted.
10. Pietsch is allowed to move outside his cell only in handcuffs.
11. The prison has 5 fences surrounding it, and the life sentences are housed in four buildings.
12. The majority of prisoners are not allowed to work, and only a few are allowed to produce gloves in the sewing department.
13. Work is a privilege for only a few prisoners.
14. The prison is located in a remote area, and the only means of transport is by air cushion boats.
15. The prison was founded in the 1960s, and the railway connection from Moscow to the Arctic was built mostly by Gulag prisoners.
16. The prisoners come to the prison by train, and the journey takes 56 hours.
17. The village was built especially for the prison officers and their families.
18. Prisoners are allowed to visit their families once a year for three hours, but physical contact is forbidden.
19. The death penalty has been suspended in Russia since 1996, but life imprisonment is still practiced.
20. Theoretically, prisoners can be released after 25 years, but this has never happened before.
Note that some of the facts may be mentioned multiple times in the text, but I have tried to extract each fact only once and present it in a concise manner.