Opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been transported to Prison No. 3 in the Kharp settlement of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, one of the most remote facilities in northern Russia. This information was reported by the 'Team Navalny' Telegram channel on December 25.
Supporters of Alexey Navalny learned that he had been moved to Penal Colony No. 3 in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Navalny had a meeting with his lawyer, who confirmed that he is in good condition.
“This is one of the most northern and isolated colonies, characterized by extremely harsh conditions and a special regime in the permafrost zone. It is challenging to reach, and there is no delivery system for letters like 'FSIN-letter' or Zonatelecom," explained Navalny's ally Ivan Zhdanov. Journalist Farida Rustamova argued that while it is possible to send a letter to Penal Colony No. 3, any reply will be in paper form and mailed to a Russian address.
Navalny's team was unaware of the politician’s location for 20 days. On December 15, they were informed that he 'had left' the colony in Vladimir Oblast.
The oppositionist is sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of extremism, fraud, and disrespect for the court.
The Yamal colony, where Navalny is currently held, is named 'Arctic Wolf.' In March 2023, the 'Novosti Yamal' (‘Yamal News’) outlet published a video from the facility. Local journalists report that the prison has its own television with an audience of over 400 individuals.
The former head of Navalny’s headquarters* in Tyumen, Ivan Vostrikov, mentioned that he visited Kharp three times. He explained that escaping from the local prison is nearly impossible due to 'hundreds of kilometers of tundra on one side and rugged mountains of the Polar Urals on the other.' As per information from 'Agentstvo,' Prison No. 3 is not the most isolated in Russia from a geographical point of view. However, a member of 'Memorial' told the media outlet that placing Navalny there might be a form of pressure due to the area’s 'extremely harsh climate conditions.'
One of the former top managers of 'Yukos,' Platon Lebedev, served his term in Penal Colony No. 3 in 2005. A year later, he was transferred to another prison. Another former 'Arctic Wolf' convict is director Oleg Sentsov, accused in 2015 of planning a series of bombings in Simferopol, Yalta, and Sevastopol.
