The Gulag was a system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word Gulag originally referred only to the division of the Soviet secret police that was in charge of running the forced labor camps from the 1930s to the early 1950s during Joseph Stalin's rule, but in English literature the term is popularly used for the system of forced labor throughout the Soviet era. The abbreviation GULAG (ГУЛАГ) stands for "Гла́вное Управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х ЛАГере́й", but the full official name of the agency changed several times.
Sharashkas were secret research and development laboratories operating from 1930 to the 1950s within the Soviet Gulag labor camp system, as well as in other facilies under the supervision of the Soviet secret service. Formally various secret R&D facilities were called "special design bureau" Russian: особое конструкторское бюро, ОКБ and similar terms. Etymologically, the word sharashka derives from a Russian slang expression sharashkina kontora,, an ironic, derogatory term to denote a poorly-organized, impromptu, or bluffing organization, which in its turn comes from the criminal argot term sharaga (шарага) for a band of thieves, hoodlums, etc.)
Kolyma or Kolyma Krai is a historical region in the Russian Far East that includes the basin of Kolyma River and the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as the Kolyma Mountains. It is bounded to the north by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and by the Sea of Okhotsk to the south. Kolyma Krai was never formally defined and over time it was split among various administrative units. As of 2023, it consists roughly of the Magadan Oblast, north-eastern areas of Yakutia, and the Bilibinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
There were a succession of Soviet secret police agencies over time. The first secret police after the October Revolution, created by Vladimir Lenin's decree on December 20, 1917, was called "Cheka" (ЧК). Officers were referred to as "chekists", a name that is still informally applied to people under the Federal Security Service of Russia, the KGB's successor in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The Federal Protective Service, or the Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation, official name in English Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation, is a federal government agency concerned with the tasks related to the protection of several high-ranking state officials, mandated by the relevant law, including the President of Russia, as well as certain federal properties. It traces its origin to the USSR's Ninth Chief Directorate of the KGB and later Presidential Security Service (SBP) led by KGB general Alexander Korzhakov.
Dalstroy, also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Russian Far East, including the Magadan Region, Chukotka, parts of Yakutia and parts of present-day Kamchatka Krai.
Sevvostlag was a system of forced labor camps set up to satisfy the workforce requirements of the Dalstroy construction trust in the Kolyma region in April 1932. Organizationally being part of Dalstroy and under the management of the Labor and Defence Council of Sovnarkom, these camps were formally subordinated to OGPU later the NKVD directorate of the Far Eastern Krai. On March 4, 1938, Sevvostlag was resubordinated to the NKVD GULAG. In 1942 it was resubordinated back to Dalstroy. In 1949 it was renamed to the Directorate of Dalstroy Corrective Labor Camps. In 1953, after the death of Joseph Stalin, with the reform of the Soviet penal system, it was again resubordinated to Gulag and later reformed into the Directorate of Far Eastern Corrective Labor Camps Управление Северо-восточных исправительно-трудовых лагерей, УСВИТЛ (USVITL).
Norillag, Norilsk Corrective Labor Camp was a gulag labor camp set by Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia and headquartered there. It existed from June 25, 1935 to August 22, 1956.
Matvei Davidovich Berman was a Soviet security officer and head of the Gulag Soviet prison camp system from 1932 to 1937.
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, abbreviated NKVD, was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
Temlag (Темла́г), Temnikovsky Corrective Labor Camp, or Temnikovsky ITL was a camp of the Gulag labor camp system of the Soviet Union. It was in the Mordovian ASSR. Its name derives from the town of Temnikov. It existed during 1931-1948. Major industries were logging, wood processing industries, and railroad construction. In addition it had a wide variety of other small-scale industries: construction, metalworking, railroad servicing, clothing and footwear production, etc. Upon liquidation its assets were split. The camp system was transferred to Dubravlag while the industries were reorganized into the Temnikovsky Industrial Combine of Gulag, which itself did not manage any camps, and later it was also merged into Dubravlag.
Minlag or Mineralny Camp Directorate was an MVD special camp for political prisoners within the Gulag system of the Soviet Union. It was established on February 28, 1948 based on the Inta labor camp, Komi ASSR. In 1954, after Stalin's death it was reorganized into an ordinary Mineralny Corrective Labor Camp.
Gorlag or Gorny Camp Directorate, Special Camp No. 2 ) was an MVD special camp for political prisoners within the Gulag system of the Soviet Union. It was established on February 28, 1948 on the part of the premises of Norillag, Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, RSFSR. In 1954, after Stalin's death it was merged back into Norillag, which was closed in 1957 together with most of the Gulag system.
Berlag or Beregovoy Camp Directorate, Special Camp No. 5, Osoblag of Dalstroy ) was an MVD special camp for political prisoners within the Gulag system of the Soviet Union. It was established on February 28, 1948 and operated within the Dalstroy organization. In 1954, after Stalin's death the camps of Berlag were converted into regular corrective labor camps.
The Inta Corrective Labor Camp or Intalag was a forced labor camp of the Gulag, which existed between 1941 and 1948 near the town of Inta in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Prisoners at the camp were mainly engaged in the mining of local coal deposits.
Serpantinka is the informal name for the place of detention and execution at the times of Stalinism. Though never officially found by any expedition it is believed to be located somewhere in the Kolyma region. It was under control of Sevvostlag, and the local NKVD troika used it as the second major place for the enforcement of their death sentences during the Great Terror. The few survivors recall "Serpantinka" as one of the most brutal sites, even among Stalin's camps in the Kolyma area.
Sergey Yakovlevich Zhuk was a Soviet hydraulic engineer, technician and state official. Hero of Socialist Labour (1952).
Usollag, full name: Usolye Corrective Labor Camp was a Gulag forced labor camp established on February 5, 1938 and functioned after the dissolution of Gulag, until 1960. It was headquartered in Solikamsk, now in Perm Krai, Russia, and it had numerous "lagpunkts" in the northern parts of the then Molotov Oblast. Its main occupation was logging and associated industries. Its reported peak occupancy was 37,000 inmates on January 1, 1942.
The Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction Camps was a directorate of NKVD in charge of Gulag labor camps which manned railroad construction during 1940-1953. It was created on January 4, 1940 under the title Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction (GULZhD). From 1941 it become known as GULZhDS. Its main task was railroad construction, with other occasional projects, such as construction of highways in Ukraine and Volga Region, some plants, airfields, mines and housing. Its best known project was the construction of the Baikal–Amur Mainline.
Ustvymlag was a Gulag labor camp in the Soviet Union, Komi ASSR, with the headquarters in the village of Ust-Vym, later moved to Vozhayol. The full name is Ust-Vym Corrective Labor Camp. It was created from a detachment of Ukhtpechlag on August 16, 1937. After the dismantling of the Gulag system it remained a corrective labor camp of the Soviet penal system at least until 1958.
