Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny confirmed on Tuesday his arrival at what he called a snowcovered prison above the Arctic Circle, saying he was in high spirits despite the grueling 20day journey there.
Navalny released an update through his lawyers
His spokeswoman said on Monday that Navalny, 47, had been tracked to the IK3 penal colony north of the Arctic Circle in Charp in the YamalNenets region, about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) northeast of Moscow.
“I am your new Grandpa Ice,” Navalny jokingly wrote in his first post from the new prison, alluding to the harsh weather conditions there.
“Well, now I have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with flaps that cover the ears), and soon I will have valenki (traditional Russian winter shoes).”
“The 20 days of the transfer were pretty tiring, but I'm still in great spirits, just like Grandpa Gelo must be.”
Navalny's new home, known as the “Arctic Wolf” colony, is considered one of Russia's toughest prisons. Most of the prisoners there were convicted of serious crimes. Winters are harsh and temperatures are expected to drop to around 28°C next week.
About 60 km north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of the Gulag system of Soviet forced labor camps, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported.
Navalny, who thanked his supporters and everyone else for their concern for his wellbeing during the long transport, said he saw guards with machine guns and guard dogs and walked around the training area, which he said was in a neighboring cell The ground, as he said, was covered with snow.
In addition, he said he only saw the perimeter fence through the cell window.
“Anyway, don’t worry about me. I'm doing well. I am very happy to have finally arrived here,” said Navalny.
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