- 5/30/2025
Terrorists, gunmen, and mafia bosses are serving their life sentences in the Russian penal camp "Vologodski Pjatak" aka Russia's most feared prison. 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 has been a maximum security prison. Christoph Wanner is the first Western TV reporter to manage to shoot behind the prison walls on the Island of the damned.
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00:00Terrorists, assassins, Mafia bosses, serial killers.
00:09The Russian courts have given them the maximum penalty.
00:13Life imprisonment.
00:16Here, that really means until the end of their lives.
00:21They are all imprisoned on Fire Island.
00:24The island of the damned.
00:26For centuries, during the time of the SARS, the prison was a monastery.
00:32Now, it houses 200 dangerous criminals.
00:36No one has ever managed to escape.
00:48Our walls are between 80 and 150 centimeters thick.
00:52You can't dig a hole through them overnight without being noticed.
00:56You don't break, you don't break, you don't break, you don't do anything.
01:00The island is surrounded by water and swampland.
01:03In the summer, temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius.
01:07In winter, they can fall to minus 30.
01:14There are inmates in this northern Russian maximum security prison
01:18who would prefer the death penalty to continuing their incarceration here.
01:22At the moment, I'd prefer the firing squad.
01:30What have I got to live for anyway?
01:35A paid job in the prison sewing shop is a privilege.
01:39Those who conform are allowed to work here.
01:41Those who don't can only escape the boredom of their cells during yard time.
01:47Pacing round and round in tiny, inhuman cages for the rest of their lives.
02:01Those who don't care for the rest of their lives.
02:13Fire Island is reserved for those men who committed their crimes with particularly lower motives and extreme cruelty.
02:203.05 p.m., cell number 8, wing 4.
02:51Captain Dimitiu, open up.
02:54Prisoner, hands behind your back.
03:07Yuri Levanov, convicted under Section 2 of Articles 105-103.
03:13Sentence was passed on March 24th, 2016.
03:17In cell 8, there are 8 inmates.
03:19Three are at work.
03:25Turn to face me.
03:28Good morning.
03:29We'll now search your cell for forbidden items.
03:32No forbidden items here.
03:36Turn your back to me.
03:37We're putting the handcuffs on.
03:46Sharp and pointed items are forbidden.
03:48They could be used as weapons or tools for escaping.
03:51Come out here.
03:56Face the wall.
04:01Other side.
04:02Any prohibited items on you?
04:07No.
04:12Articles 105 and 103 of the Russian Criminal Code deal with murder.
04:17Sex offender and killer Levanov cruelly and brutally murdered his girlfriend.
04:25Guards search Levanov's cell.
04:39They're looking for anything that could be used as a weapon or a means of escape.
04:43All larger objects are fixed into place to prevent them from being used in a riot situation,
04:52says the deputy prisoner governor.
04:57All secured.
04:59The beds are welded to the floor.
05:00This camera is for the storage of four prisoners.
05:05Styles like these always accommodate three or four inmates.
05:23The only place with any privacy is the toilet.
05:27That's bolted to the floor too.
05:28The lights, plumbing system, it all works.
05:36The ventilator gets rid of the smoke very quickly.
05:45We can also see everything the men do in their cells through the security cameras.
05:54And we can maintain contact with the prisoners through an intercom system
05:58without any risk to our cells.
06:08Move it.
06:09Go in here.
06:27Go in here.
06:29Then face me.
06:30Take the handcuffs off.
06:43In this cell, psychologists and profilers normally work with the prisoners.
06:49They compile offender profiles for crime prevention purposes.
06:52I've committed rape and murder in a very cruel way.
07:00What do you mean by very cruel?
07:02I abused my girlfriend.
07:08Don't know what to say.
07:22I injured her internal organs as well.
07:25What does that mean?
07:31I'm ashamed to speak about it.
07:36What did you do?
07:37I tore her internal organs out with my bare hands.
07:48Levanov committed his first sex offense at the age of 17.
07:52As a juvenile, Levanov was convicted of abusing a nine-year-old girl.
08:04He tried to rape her.
08:08She was the daughter of his brother's partner.
08:10Pictures from Russian television.
08:17Levanov had to serve a four-year term in prison for child abuse.
08:21Back outside, he murdered Alina Asorkina in a garage yard in the central Russian city of Saransk.
08:29Levanov had met the 21-year-old on the internet.
08:32Then, as he told the police, he lured the woman here to carry out sexual experiments with her.
08:44Then, suddenly, he completely lost control.
08:49Levanov shows the officers where and how he committed the murder.
08:54At first, I hit her in the face a few times.
08:57Why? Asks one of the officers.
09:05So she wouldn't put up any resistance.
09:08This police video is admissible as evidence in court.
09:22We had a psychiatric assessment done in a clinic.
09:27And the doctors concluded he was of completely sound mind when he committed the crime.
09:35And that is still the case today.
09:43For this murder, for particularly lower motives, Levanov was sentenced to 23 years in a prison camp.
09:50The state prosecutors appealed, demanding life imprisonment instead.
09:57And they were successful.
10:00In Russia, life imprisonment literally means detention until the day you die.
10:05Theoretically, after 25 years, there's a chance to be released for good behavior or mitigating circumstances.
10:26And that's what Levanov is hoping for.
10:28He claims that at the time of the offense, he was not responsible for his actions, because he was under the influence of drugs.
10:37I smoked spice during my first prison term.
10:48And after I was released, I used it more often.
10:53It's so easy to get.
10:54The dealers just leave it in a prearranged place.
11:02One dose costs 1,500 or 2,000 rubles.
11:08This synthetic stuff changes you, makes you aggressive.
11:12And time just starts racing.
11:132,000 rubles are about 28 euros.
11:23Reduced responsibility, remorse, good behavior.
11:27That's the strategy Levanov hopes may enable him to leave Fire Island after 25 years.
11:34Up to now, no one who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Russia has ever been released.
11:40When the time comes, much will depend on the assessments of psychologists.
11:52Okneny Ostrov, the Fire Island, is Russia's oldest maximum security prison.
12:00Surrounded by sparsely populated marshlands, the once orthodox monastery looms above Lake Novozaro.
12:08Similar to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay.
12:13The penitentiary IK-5 lies around 600 kilometers north of Moscow.
12:19Surrounded by the 12 square kilometer lake.
12:25The neighboring island of Sladky, which means sweet, is mainly home to prison guards.
12:31Many of them still live in run-down wooden huts from Soviet days.
12:37In some places on Lake Novozaro, time seems to have stood still.
12:54The monastery was founded on the island by Saint Cyril in the 16th century.
12:59And because torches burned there at night, the people in the surrounding villages came up with the name Island of Fire.
13:07The October Revolution in 1917 swept the largely atheist Bolsheviks to power.
13:14They drove out the monks and converted the monastery into a gulag for enemies of the state.
13:19In 1994, Fire Island became a maximum security prison for dangerous criminals.
13:26A place of no return.
13:34Igor Dashkovsky is the deputy prison governor.
13:37He's been working on Fire Island for 11 years.
13:42And knows it like the back of his hand.
13:44Security rounds.
14:04Several times a day, prison guards check the walls and fences.
14:07Exclusion zone.
14:28No admission.
14:29We are here at the entrance to the prison.
14:37Detained behind these walls, there are 189 men.
14:41Each of them has been sentenced to life.
14:43Terrorists, serial killers, sex offenders, gang bosses and murderers.
14:49They've committed a variety of crimes.
14:51Come with me.
14:59Terrorists, serial killers, gang bosses, gang bosses and murderers.
15:20Right behind the entrance is the prison's administration.
15:23The administration and the prisoner's wing are right next to each other because we are on a small island.
15:32When the building was a monastery, there used to be water here.
15:38Boats went through the north gate directly to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
15:45Now we're going into the living quarters.
15:47By living quarters, Daszkovsky means the maximum security cells in the former Church of the Resurrection.
16:01Checkpoint two.
16:04Prisoner's wing.
16:17The living area is relatively compact with four buildings.
16:39Wing four was renovated two years ago.
16:42Foundations and walls are historic.
16:47This is the former monastery church of the Resurrection of Christ.
16:56Here on the right is wing one.
16:59It's currently being renovated.
17:01All the buildings, meanwhile, have running water and are connected to the sewerage system.
17:09There are new security cameras everywhere.
17:12And we recently installed a ventilation system.
17:17The ventilation system means that during the warmer seasons, at least some of the windows can be kept closed.
17:33Because once the snow is gone, clouds of mosquitoes from the neighboring marshes plague the entire island.
17:39In the summer, temperatures can reach 35 degrees Celsius.
17:47In winter, they can fall to minus 30.
17:52The air is now on the ground.
17:53The air is now on the ground.
18:07Comrade lieutenant colonel, nothing to report.
18:11In this wing, there are 88 prisoners.
18:1321 present the risk of escape.
18:15We're in wing four, which, as I said, underwent a complete refurbishment two years ago.
18:29During the building work, we discovered historic frescoes and had them restored.
18:33This one is Methodius.
18:41And there's also a cyril fresco that's been preserved.
18:51Why was a monastery like this converted into a prison?
18:55It was an obvious choice because of its location on an island.
19:07Water is the perfect escape barrier.
19:12Up to now, there hasn't been one serious attempt to escape.
19:16That's because beyond the lake, there are only swamps and forests.
19:20And so no one knows which direction to take.
19:25Our monastery walls are between 80 and 150 centimeters thick.
19:33There's no way anyone can dig a hole through them overnight without being noticed.
19:37It's not realistic.
19:38In each wing, there's at least one bathroom.
19:58The inmates of each cell all go to the showers together.
20:00That's three or four men at a time.
20:05When they've finished, the next one goes in, one cell after the other.
20:09It's for security reasons.
20:15The hot water comes from the boilers.
20:17There are 45 lifers in this building.
20:19Each of them takes a shower twice a week.
20:21Are there security cameras here as well?
20:27No, they have their privacy here.
20:32The guard locks this door and checks everything through this window.
20:40Video surveillance in the bathroom is against the law.
20:49This is our medical wing.
20:58That's Viktor Sigievich.
21:00He's in charge.
21:03On the left and right are the treatment rooms.
21:06This is the isolation room.
21:08If an inmate catches something infectious, he's put in this cell so he won't pass it on to anyone else.
21:18We can treat dental problems as well.
21:23The doctor comes once a month or more often if it's needed.
21:27And if any inmates need an injection or an intravenous drip, that all happens in this room.
21:39The island of fire, an almost self-sufficient maximum security prison in the middle of nowhere.
21:55Only food supplies need to be delivered.
21:57There's even a sewing shop.
22:03It stands on the site of old Russian Orthodox graves.
22:06In the monastery, there was a graveyard, of course.
22:20When we built the sewing shop, we found this gravestone.
22:24Lieutenant Colonel Dimitri Timošin died 10th December 1858.
22:45Cells for dangerous criminals in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
22:49Frescoes in the prison computer room.
22:54The founder of the monastery, Cyril of Novozoro.
23:05Many former atheist inmates have meanwhile found solace in the Russian Orthodox faith.
23:12The murderer Mikhail Bukharov has documented his path to religion in tattoos.
23:20He stabbed an acquaintance 48 times, more or less dismembering him.
23:26He was afraid the acquaintance would press charges against him after committing a robbery.
23:41Can you see who's holding this being in his hand?
23:44The devil.
23:45Yes, the devil, or evil.
23:52What's this tattoo got to do with God?
23:55Nothing.
23:55I did it before I'd found God.
24:00And when did you find your faith?
24:04Three years after the tattoo on my back.
24:06Is that prisoner you?
24:12Yes, above me is God, who forgives our sins.
24:21And you really are religious today?
24:23Yes.
24:26So you found your way to God in prison?
24:27Yes, after the sentence of death by firing squad.
24:35When was that?
24:371994.
24:43Why wasn't the sentence carried out?
24:44Because there was a moratorium on death penalties.
24:49When?
24:51I think it was 1994.
24:56So the death penalty converted you?
24:59Yes.
24:59The moratorium on the death penalty has been in force in Russia since 1996.
25:21Bukharov, meanwhile, is in favor of it ending.
25:24At the moment I would prefer to be shot.
25:36What am I supposed to do here?
25:38What have I got to live for?
25:46There's always the chance of parole after 25 years.
25:50What chance?
25:51It's all just theory.
25:54Some have been here for 30 years.
25:58Nobody gets out alive.
26:03Bukharov believes the only way he'll leave Fire Island is in a coffin.
26:08Because he committed a particularly brutal murder.
26:12For him, the 48 stab wounds are a death penalty in installments.
26:22Seven o'clock in the morning.
26:25The early shift takes over.
26:28More patrols.
26:30Walls and fences are checked again.
26:32In the prison sewing shop too, the working day begins.
26:47The prisoners here are volunteers.
26:53The job is a privilege.
26:58Anyone hoping to get out after 25 years does his best to get his hands on one of the few sewing machines.
27:05To earn money for a life in freedom.
27:12Sex offender and killer Levenoff firmly believes he will leave the island alive one day.
27:17He stoically endures all the strict security measures.
27:24He stoically endures all the strict security measures.
27:26The men make life jackets, souvenirs and working clothes for a private company in Moscow.
27:35The men make life jackets, souvenirs and working clothes for a private company in Moscow.
27:49About 100 euros a month is the top salary on the prison island.
27:55These are things we make here.
28:07Souvenirs, life jackets for children too, working clothes for medical staff, building workers, security staff and welders.
28:21With a lining for winter.
28:25And rucksacks.
28:28What do the prisoners do with the money?
28:33They're paid based on performance.
28:37They can save the money or use it to buy food in our shop.
28:42Or they can send it to relatives.
28:50Some inmates, like Levenoff, also make so-called compensation payments to the relatives of their victims.
29:10I have to pay compensation because I was sued for damages.
29:14Who sued you?
29:18The victim's mother.
29:21How much did you have to pay?
29:24Two to three thousand, depending on what I earn.
29:29Rubles?
29:30Yes.
29:32Every month?
29:33Yes.
29:34For how long?
29:3810 to 15 years.
29:40How much is that altogether?
29:42Two million rubles.
29:44Two million rubles is the equivalent of about 28,600 euros.
29:50After work, they go out to the exercise yard.
29:57Two hours are allowed each day.
30:00But only a few of them take full advantage of this opportunity.
30:03In winter, there's usually an icy wind blowing off Lake Navasaro.
30:11And in summer, the inmates are plagued by countless mosquitoes.
30:15They're yard time takes place in these small, rusty cages.
30:23That's the extent of their freedom of movement.
30:27In human conditions.
30:28One prisoner, two each cage.
30:51Move it up against the wall.
30:52Move it up against the wall.
30:56So, now go in.
30:57Move it up against the wall.
31:08Most guards know roughly what crimes the prisoners have committed,
31:12but don't really bother with the details.
31:15A matter of self-protection, so they don't become emotionally brutalized themselves.
31:20Analyzing crimes is a psychologist's job.
31:28It's for them to say whether a lifer is theoretically mature enough
31:32to be allowed out on parole after 25 years.
31:35I keep out of it most of the time.
31:38Otherwise, all this filth would drive me crazy.
31:42Lots of the murders are simply just barbaric.
31:44It's a crime that was done, and it's really a horrible crime.
31:54Daylight.
31:55A few steps without handcuffs and no cellmates to disturb him.
32:01Sex offender and killer Levenoff tries to keep himself alive mentally
32:06through the power of positive thinking.
32:14Life imprisonment has nothing to do with the end of your life.
32:21Every human being lives, learns, works, and despite all the adversities,
32:27tries to start a new chapter in their lives.
32:35Wouldn't the death penalty spare you a lot?
32:37No. Not everyone would want to die.
32:46Not even in a situation like this.
32:48I love my life and don't want to lose it.
32:54With the brutality of their crimes, murderers like Levenoff have clearly crossed a line.
33:00That's the main criticism of the deputy prison governor.
33:07As a human being, I'm in favor of him being executed for the brutal murder of his girlfriend.
33:25As a prison officer, I'm against the death penalty.
33:28Because as a lifer, he's confronted with his crime every day, every minute of his life.
33:38And in line with current practice, that will continue until the day he dies.
33:51Come out now. Any prohibited items on you?
33:54No.
33:58Many prison officers consider life imprisonment to be harder punishment than death.
34:04These men don't believe that Levenoff will ever be released.
34:08They think his remorse and admission of guilt are just an act,
34:11with every action and reaction geared precisely to securing his release in 25 years,
34:17others, thus escaping his responsibility.
34:29The sex offender and killer's relatives obviously take a similar view.
34:35None of them want anything to do with Levenoff.
34:37Some contact would certainly be possible.
34:41Even personal meetings between offender and family are possible on Fire Island.
34:47The only condition is that the prison authorities must have no security concerns.
34:53Only those showing good behavior can expect permission to receive visitors.
34:57There are even special small apartments for these visits in the former monastery.
35:11We have two apartments where inmates and their families can meet.
35:21In the first 10 years of imprisonment, it's once a year for three days.
35:26After that, for good behavior, two such visits can be arranged per year.
35:30This is the children's room.
35:41A maximum of two adults and one child are allowed to visit.
35:48They have to present documents showing that they're close relatives.
35:55Here's the kitchen.
35:56And back here are the toilet and shower.
36:13How can you guarantee that a prisoner on a life sentence won't do any harm to his wife or his parents?
36:19We can't guarantee anything.
36:26That's why every inmate is screened thoroughly before any kind of meeting takes place.
36:31If we think there won't be any problems, we give the green light.
36:36Has anything ever happened?
36:38No. The prisoners have enough brains not to do anything.
36:42After all, it's their wives, parents and children visiting them.
36:45During the approval process, we check through all their letters.
36:53We make sure there are no insults going back and forth.
36:56We check everything.
37:01Besides Fire Island, there are five other maximum security prisons in Russia.
37:07In these institutions, almost 2,000 men are serving life sentences.
37:11Maximum security prisons are very different from the widespread prison camps.
37:21This one lies about 1,000 kilometers southeast of Fire Island in the town of Javas,
37:27in the Republic of Mordovia.
37:29We are now entering a camp where only former state officials are detained.
37:44Prison commander Shaliev takes us through the prison camp.
37:51Open the doors.
37:51The criminals in prison camps are slightly less dangerous than those in maximum security prisons.
38:01Freedom of movement is significantly greater and the men live in so-called barracks rather than cells.
38:08Some have also committed serious crimes, however.
38:19Former police officer Viktor Saliev is here for double murder.
38:24He was a member of a mafia clan and was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment.
38:28What exactly did you do?
38:39I didn't kill ordinary people.
38:42They were members of a rival gang.
38:46What did you do to them?
38:48Shot them.
38:50I shot them.
38:51All in all, there are about 650,000 men incarcerated in Russia's prison camps.
39:04Morning roll call.
39:05This is done several times a day by the camp authorities to make sure all prisoners are still present.
39:12In contrast to maximum security prisons like Fire Island, attempts to escape are not uncommon here.
39:21Some dig tunnels.
39:27Others try to ram their way out using camp vehicles.
39:32There are countless stories.
39:39The daily routine is strictly regulated.
39:42Breakfast, work, lunch, back to work, evening meal, free time, bedtime.
39:50The days in the camps are very similar to those in the maximum security prisons.
39:56The food hut.
39:58Prisoners cook and bake for prisoners.
40:05In most Russian prison camps, there's a kind of caste system.
40:09The topmost caste is made up of the crime bosses.
40:16In the second caste are the common criminals, like Saliev.
40:21Both groups avoid the lowest caste.
40:24Prison informers and homosexuals.
40:26Is there a caste system here too?
40:37A hierarchy?
40:38Let me just finish eating before I answer.
40:51No, there's no caste system here.
40:53Everyone's equal?
41:00You can all sit where you want to?
41:02Sure, wherever you want to.
41:10Whether this answer is true is difficult to say.
41:13Western camera crews don't have enough time in the prisons to find out what the inmates really think.
41:22This is what we call the industrial area.
41:27Here there's a sewing shop and a pasta factory.
41:30We also grow our own vegetables.
41:35Who do you sell to?
41:38We keep the food here.
41:40The textiles go to clients, private companies.
41:42We buy the sewage products, vatins.
41:47Pasta production in the Yavas prison camp.
41:51Here too, there are parallels to the maximum security prisons.
41:56Work is the reward for good behavior.
41:58Those behaving badly are condemned to just sitting around.
42:08I like working.
42:10It makes the time go by faster.
42:12What else is the work good for?
42:18Working means good behavior.
42:20Good behavior can mean parole.
42:25Early release is definitely a realistic possibility in prison camps.
42:30In maximum security prisons, that's not yet the case due to the high risk for the population.
42:38When the shift's over, they return to their barracks.
42:40The prisoners are not allowed to take any pointed objects out with them.
42:46Only those who submit unconditionally can have any hope of being released early from this hellish place.
42:52Back to Fire Island on Lake Novozoro in northern Russia.
43:01There are a few inmates who are not serving life sentences.
43:07Drug dealers, thieves, protection racketeers.
43:10They're job is to provide for the lifers.
43:19We have our own bakery.
43:22This is where we bake bread for the inmates and for sale as well.
43:30The camera lens steams up due to the great difference in temperature.
43:35Outside, minus 17 degrees.
43:38In here, it's around 20.
43:41Rather less dangerous inmates do the baking and cooking for their extremely dangerous comrades.
43:49This is our kitchen, where the food for the lifers is prepared.
44:16Let me have a look.
44:25Hi.
44:34Soup, tuna salad, meat.
44:37Because a Western camera crew is here today, it's difficult to say whether the lifers are getting some kind of special feast from their fellow inmates.
44:46In Russian prisons, inmates are used for all kinds of work in order to save personnel costs.
44:55Cooks, bakers, heating fitters, electricians, welders.
45:14The list of the jobs the inmates do is long.
45:17We have 53 prisoners here who keep this high-security prison running on a day-to-day basis.
45:26But the prisoners are, of course, not allowed to work in any security-relevant areas.
45:35Those serving life sentences have their food brought to their cells three times a day.
45:44Bringing them all together in one dining hall is out of the question.
45:50It would be too dangerous.
45:52Many of those imprisoned on Fire Island don't believe they will ever be out on parole after 25 years.
46:11So they have nothing to lose.
46:13They could attack guards or fellow inmates or try to take hostages to exchange for their freedom.
46:20Some of the men are not satisfied with the size of the portions.
46:40Give me some more meat.
46:43What's wrong?
46:44I want some more meat.
46:48Just take your plate.
46:50Do I have to tell you again?
47:00I don't want any more pasta.
47:02What?
47:03No more pasta.
47:13Some lifers like to write letters to the state prosecution service,
47:17complaining that they are being badly treated or not being given their toiletries.
47:22It's all lies.
47:25They're bored.
47:26And they want a bit of attention.
47:28But most of them don't want to get involved in all this nonsense with complaints.
47:32Human rights organizations from the West and in Russia see this matter differently.
47:41According to Human Rights Watch and Memorial, the Russian prison system is arbitrary and violent.
47:47The camera crew have seen no evidence of such conditions.
47:54However, only hand-picked inmates, like Levenoff, are allowed to speak in the presence of Western journalists.
48:01Not a single word of criticism comes out of his mouth.
48:04The sex offender and killer knows all too well that his slim hopes of parole would otherwise be completely compromised.
48:12What do you think about most?
48:25About early release.
48:31What's the earliest you could get out of here?
48:36Parole.
48:37After 25 years.
48:38What does that depend on most?
48:45Good behavior.
48:50But this 25-year thing has never happened yet, has it?
48:58I don't know, honestly.
49:01So you've still got hope?
49:03Yes, I still have hope.
49:08Back in the cell.
49:19Come here.
49:21Prisoner Levenoff.
49:22Total submission.
49:33No answering back.
49:35And don't do anything wrong.
49:38From his own experience, Yuri Levenoff knows the rules of the game that can get him paroled.
49:44In his first prison term for child abuse, the good behavior strategy had worked.
49:53But there is one decisive difference between then and now.
49:57At that time, Levenoff was in a normal prison camp.
50:01Now, after having committed a particularly brutal murder, he's serving a sentence of love.
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