By Andrew Osborn and Olzhas Auyezov
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept jail above the Arctic Circle and mentioned he was in glorious spirits regardless of a tiring 20-day journey to get there.
Navalny posted an replace on X through his legal professionals after his allies misplaced contact with him for greater than two weeks whereas he was in transit with no details about the place he was being taken, prompting expressions of concern from Western politicians.
His spokeswoman mentioned on Monday that Navalny, 47, had been tracked all the way down to the IK-3 penal colony north of the Arctic Circle positioned in Kharp within the Yamal-Nenets area about 1,900 km (1200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
“I’m your new Father Frost,” Navalny wrote jokingly in his first submit from his new jail, a reference to the cruel climate circumstances there.
“Properly, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with ear-covering flaps), and shortly I’ll get valenki (conventional Russian winter footwear).
“The 20 days of the switch have been fairly tiring, however I am nonetheless in a wonderful temper, as Father Frost must be.”
Navalny’s new dwelling, referred to as “the Polar Wolf” colony, is taken into account to be one of many hardest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh – and temperatures are because of drop to round minus 28 Celsius (minus 18.4 Fahrenheit) there over the subsequent week.
About 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, the jail was based within the Sixties as a part of what was as soon as the GULAG system of pressured Soviet labour camps, in accordance with the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.
Navalny, who thanked his supporters and everybody else for his or her concern about his welfare throughout his lengthy switch, mentioned he had seen guards with machineguns and guard canine and had gone for a stroll within the train space which he mentioned was positioned in a neighbouring cell, the ground of which he mentioned was lined with snow.
In any other case, he mentioned he had simply seen the perimeter fence out of a cell window.
“Anyway, don’t fret about me. I am advantageous. I am awfully glad I lastly made it right here,” mentioned Navalny.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Olzhas Auyezov; Enhancing by Angus MacSwan)
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