Unlike other Russian colonies for life-sentenced prisoners, Correctional Colony No. 5 (IK-5) "Vologda Pyatak" did not arise on the site of old camps and fortresses. It is located on Fire Island in the middle of Lake Novoye (Novozero) in the Vologda region. At the beginning of the 20th century, the island was occupied by the Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery, founded in 1517 by Kirill Bely, a nobleman by birth.

Born in 1481 in Galich, Bely left his family home early and was tonsured a monk at the age of 15. Before settling on Fire Island, Kirill wandered for a long 20 years. According to Bely’s accounts, the Virgin Mary pointed him to the island while he was at the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery. Bely had a vision: a fiery pillar from the heavens pointed him to a piece of land amid the water. Thus, the island on Novozero got its name — Fire Island.

In the first half of the 16th century, two churches and cells for monks who joined Kirill Bely appeared there. A Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was also built on the island, funded by boyar Boris Morozov. The monastery’s founder died in 1532 (according to other sources — in 1537), and a century later, the relics of the monk, canonized as a saint, were placed in a reliquary (ark) between the two churches. According to legends, the spirit of elder Kirill saved Ivan the Terrible’s life. Allegedly, the saint appeared to the tsar in a dream and asked him not to attend a meeting with the boyars. Ivan obeyed, and the ceiling collapsed in the chamber where the meeting was held, killing people. After this, the tsar made a generous donation to the Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery.

In 1906, a severe fire broke out on Fire Island, damaging many monastery buildings. Restoration took a long ten years — and in 1916, the monastery rose from the ashes. But soon the Great October Revolution erupted, and in 1919, members of the People’s Commissariat of Justice of the RSFSR arrived at the monastery. Their first act was to open the reliquary and inspect the relics of Saint Kirill, which were later described in a report as a "doll resembling a human." Initially, the inspectors decided to move the remains to a simple wooden coffin and leave them in place.

But after 1928, when the Kirillo-Novoezersky Monastery was finally liquidated, the saint’s relics vanished without a trace. All the monks’ property was confiscated by the communists, icons were burned, and frescoes were plastered over. The monks were even stripped of their clothes and expelled from the monastery. The empty buildings on the island began to be used to exile enemies of the people, including counter-revolutionaries and clergymen. Many of them were tortured and killed by guards. The island of Fire came to be called the "Solovki of Belozersk" by the people — by analogy with the largest Soviet camp "Solovki" on islands in the White Sea.

During Stalin’s era, one of the GULAG zones was located on Fire Island: initially, in 1938, Correctional Labor Colony No. 14 (ITK-14) was established on the island, which after the Great Patriotic War was transformed into ITK-6. Novozero mainly became a place of exile for those suspected of ties with the Germans — including Soviet soldiers who survived fascist captivity. The zone was briefly called Camp Department No. 17 (LO-17). Three years after Stalin’s death — in 1956 — LO-17 again became a colony: it housed bandits and murderers.

In 1962, the zone on Fire Island was named Correctional Labor Colony No. 5 (ITK), after which it acquired its unofficial name — "Vologda Pyatak." Until the late 1970s, there were almost no "thieves-in-law" there, so the colony was considered one of the most disciplined in the USSR. But then authorities began to appear on Novozero. One of the first was the thief-in-law Ivan Yezhov, known in criminal circles as Yezh or Vanka Stalingradsky. Valeryan Kuchuloria (Piso) and Gennady Mikhailov (Solenyy) also served time on Fire Island. The thief-in-law Solenyy spent about 20 years on the island. In 2014, the cancer-stricken authority was transferred from "Vologda Pyatak" to a prison hospital, where he died.

Meanwhile, in 1994, the zone on Novozero became the first place of imprisonment for life-sentenced prisoners in Russia. At that time, life imprisonment as a separate punishment was not in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: it was assigned as an act of clemency to those sentenced to death. Before the arrival of the first lifers, the IK-5 buildings were repaired, fire safety systems were installed, a canteen for prison staff was built, and the bridge to the neighboring Sweet Island was restored.

In the spring of the same year, the first 17 "pyzhi" arrived at "Vologda Pyatak" from Tambov — this is prison slang for life-sentenced prisoners. A year later, the only suicide in the entire history of IK-5 occurred: a young inmate took his own life, leaving a note. "This is my choice. I ask no one to blame anyone," it said. There have been no such cases in "Vologda Pyatak" since. And from 1996, life imprisonment appeared in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as an independent punishment. Since then, the number of prisoners in "Vologda Pyatak" has gradually grown. Serial killers, cannibals, pedophiles, maniacs — these are the ones who today spend their lives on Fire Island.

One of the most famous inmates of "Vologda Pyatak" is Alexander Bychkov from Perm — he is only 31 years old. He is a killer and cannibal nicknamed the Predator, responsible for the deaths of nine people, mostly homeless and alcoholics. Bychkov harbored particular animosity toward the latter: his mother abused alcohol and often showed aggression toward her son. Bychkov committed his first murder in 2009 — he killed a 60-year-old pensioner whom he invited to spend the night. The Predator dismembered the victim’s body and buried it behind the house.

He dealt with the other victims in a similar manner: Bychkov lured them to a deserted place, gave them vodka, and then killed them with a knife or hammer. For some victims, the Predator cut out and ate internal organs — the heart and liver. The killer was caught after he once robbed a store. During the search, Bychkov’s diary was found, in which he described all his crimes — it became the main evidence in the investigation.

Bychkov’s neighbor in "Vologda Pyatak" is the Perm maniac Boris Koshcheev. In less than a month, from June 13 to July 10, 2013, he killed five residents of Perm. Koshcheev’s first victim was his drinking companion, from whose house the maniac took all valuable property. After that, he raped and killed four women, but the last, the fifth victim, managed to escape. She gave a detailed description of Koshcheev to the police, after which the maniac was arrested.

Another inmate of Fire Island is serial killer Artem Anufriev. Together with his accomplice Nikita Lytkin, they were called the "Akademov Maniacs" and "Irkutsk Hammerers" in Irkutsk. From December 2010 to April 2011, they killed six people, including a 12-year-old boy. The boy was killed for no reason at all. They attacked a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy and her six-year-old niece, but the girl managed to escape. The killers broke the woman’s fingers and smashed her head, but the attack was interrupted by a passing car — the victim survived.

Another victim of the "Akademov Maniacs" — a resident of Irkutsk who was returning home late at night from guests — was not so lucky. The killers literally beheaded him. At the trial, Anufriev tried to avoid harsh punishment and accused his accomplice Lytkin of inciting the murders, but he was still recognized as the main culprit. Anufriev was sentenced to life imprisonment, which he still serves on Novozero.

Mikhail Bukharov is considered a local celebrity in "Vologda Pyatak" — he is the leader of the musical group "Ostrov," which includes several other lifers. Bukharov showed musical talent while free, playing in an orchestra, but his creative career did not take off. He became a repeat offender with experience and traveled between zones since he was 15. After his release in the early 90s, Bukharov decided to get his life together and even planned to marry, but he beat the bride’s father and went on the run. During the time he was hiding from the investigation, the fugitive killed several people, which led him to Fire Island. Bukharov has been there for several years and constantly writes songs, enough for several albums.

Not only maniacs spend their lives on Fire Island. Participants of the Orekhov organized crime group (OPG) — one of the most terrible gangs of the "wild" 90s — were sent there for eternal exile. One of the gang’s leaders, Oleg Pylev, as well as killers Oleg Mikhailov and Sergey Makhalin, serve time in "Vologda Pyatak." These three are responsible for 54 murders, and Pylev was also found guilty of extortion and kidnapping. Interestingly, the life sentence did not prevent killer Mikhailov from starting a personal life. In 2018, he married in the zone: his chosen one was a former police officer.

Today, the "Vologda Pyatak" colony is completely cut off from the mainland — Fire Island has no direct connection with it. However, the neighboring Sweet Island does have such a connection, its name owed to the monastery sbiten (a traditional honey-spice drink) — it was sold there even in tsarist times. Mostly, IK-5 staff live on Sweet Island. Recently, some locals tried to hold a kind of referendum on the liquidation of the zone and the restoration of the monastery. But the idea failed: for many on Novozero, "Vologda Pyatak" is the only place to earn a living.

Today, in the four IK-5 buildings designed for 200 places, there are, according to various sources, from 180 to 190 prisoners sentenced to life and long-term imprisonment under strict regime. About 60 of them are allowed to work. Prisoners work in two shifts: from 7:30 to 16:00 or from 15:15 to 23:30. They sew construction and insulated mittens, quilted jackets, pillows, mattresses, pillowcases, decorative pilot caps, bath hats (budenovkas), construction overalls, and even work uniforms for various organizations. For example, once the prisoners made 2,500 suits for cash couriers.

For diligent work in such production, one can earn up to 20,000 rubles per month. Some prisoners save the money for relatives, others make purchases: a special catalog is brought to them, from which they can order not only food but also other goods — for example, magazines and newspapers. Cigarettes and alcohol are prohibited. Cash payments are also forbidden: the cost of orders from the catalog is deducted from the prisoners’ personal accounts by the accounting department.

IK-5 has a special housekeeping squad of 38 prisoners sentenced to long strict regime terms. They are responsible for cleaning, cooking, and maintaining "Vologda Pyatak." Such prisoners live in cells of four people and have the right to an annual leave within the colony, during which they are even allowed to play on a game console. Prisoners join the housekeeping squad voluntarily, but lifers are forbidden from joining.

In IK-5 cells, prisoners mostly live two or three to a cell, but there are also solitary cells. Solitude is generally reserved for those prisoners who may be at risk of death from other inmates due to their crimes — for example, pedophiles sit in solitary cells. Greedy prisoners who receive generous packages from outside and do not want to share with cellmates also strive for solitary confinement. However, most prisoners in "Vologda Pyatak" are not opposed to having neighbors.

Some cells in IK-5 are truly huge — their area reaches up to 40 square meters with a standard of four square meters per person. This is because the cells are former monastery cells, converted and reinforced with bars.

After a major renovation in 2011, cold water appeared in the cells of "Vologda Pyatak," and proper toilets finally replaced buckets. Moreover, in the new IK-5 building, designed for 45 places, toilets are allocated in separate rooms. They are equipped with motion sensors: when a prisoner enters, the light turns on. However, the zone is still heated the old-fashioned way — with firewood and coal.

Once a year, each life-sentenced prisoner in "Vologda Pyatak" is allowed a long-term visit lasting three days, which takes place in separate rooms. Such visits are always a big challenge for prison staff: the thing is, surveillance cameras are installed only in dining rooms. There are none in bedrooms — nor is there a guarantee that the prisoner will not try to harm any of his relatives. Nevertheless, some prisoners’ relatives sometimes come to the colony, stand at the gates, and ask to be let in, even though the visiting time has not yet come. Mothers behave this way especially often. And although their pleas and tears touch the prison staff, by law they cannot let visitors in at unauthorized times.

Among all Russian colonies for life-sentenced prisoners, "Vologda Pyatak" can probably be called one of the most liberal. Prisoners are not taken outside the cells bent double — guards are satisfied with prisoners’ hands cuffed behind their backs, and there is no video surveillance even in the cells of the old building. Despite this, since 1994, there has not been a single recorded escape attempt from IK-5, and the zone itself has been nicknamed the Russian "Alcatraz" — by analogy with the famous super-secure prison in San Francisco Bay.

However, there was a story when several life-sentenced prisoners from Fire Island were sent to Vologda to treat tuberculosis. The prisoners did not waste time and acquired shivs, but the homemade weapons were found during the next search, and that was the end of it. Another desperate prisoner tried to escape from "Vologda Pyatak" in 1992 — when the zone still had the status of a regular, not special, regime.

The fugitive managed to sneak into a garbage truck, where, in addition to waste, the contents of a street toilet were also poured. However, the prisoner was quickly caught, and the bridge to Sweet Island, which has a connection to the mainland, was blocked. The fugitive had no choice but to surrender: he would not have had the strength to swim away from Fire Island. According to other sources, the zone’s management knew about his desire to escape and decided not to interfere, to prove to the prisoners of "Vologda Pyatak" the impossibility of escape.

On the other hand, the prison staff decided to make this precedent a lesson for all IK-15 prisoners and increased surveillance over them. To this day, sewage trucks are scanned before leaving the territory of "Vologda Pyatak" using special equipment capable of detecting a human heartbeat. And the contents of garbage trucks are checked with a special metal rod just in case.

All prisoners of "Vologda Pyatak" have something that gives them hope. This is the story of one of the life-sentenced prisoners of IK-15 — a former soldier who in the early 90s killed an officer and deserted from his unit. The prisoner managed to get his case reviewed and prove that he was repeatedly harassed by the murdered man. As a result, his life sentence was replaced with 15 years of imprisonment — and he left the zone. Alive.

Such an outcome is desired by the vast majority of those locked on Fire Island. Theoretically, 25 years after the start of a life sentence, each prisoner has the right to apply for parole (conditional early release). Prisoners who have served more than a quarter of a century even receive additional psychological support — social adaptation courses are conducted for them. In 2015, pedophile Sergey Kopyrnev from the town of Staritsa in the Tver region tried to get parole. In 1989, he raped and brutally killed an 11-year-old boy — the child’s body had more than 30 stab wounds. Kopyrnev was initially sentenced to death, but later it was replaced with life imprisonment. Having served 25 years, the maniac decided to take advantage of the chance for parole. However, in his hometown of Staritsa, this caused a storm of protest: almost the entire adult population signed a petition against the pedophile’s release.

At the court hearing, Kopyrnev tried to convince the judge via video link that he had reformed and realized everything. The mother of the murdered child (also via video link) was categorically against the pedophile’s release (by the way, the prisoner had been sending her letters of repentance for years). The prosecutor and a colony employee present in the courtroom also spoke against it. As a result, the judge denied the prisoner parole. However, these hearings may be only the first in a series: today, many lifers of "Vologda Pyatak," sentenced in the early 90s, are beginning to reach the 25-year milestones of their terms.

Those imprisoned on Fire Island often turn to faith. For this purpose, a prayer room is equipped in the building, where icons painted by prisoners hang on the walls. Muslims in IK-15 are allowed to perform namaz. But among the prisoners, according to some data, there are those who only pretend to be believers and write tearful letters to religious organizations for financial aid of 5,000 to 100,000 rubles. The logic is simple — by law, money from such donations cannot be deducted to pay claims from victims. And only the faces of saints from old monastery frescoes, sometimes visible beneath the crumbling plaster of the cells in "Vologda Pyatak," can appeal to the conscience of such swindlers in robes.

Sources:

https://www.booksite.ru/dorogami-rubcova/belozerskij-5.html

https://lenta.ru/articles/2019/06/23/alkatras/