History

Dive into curated articles on History …

The Ryazan Shootout: Bloody Gang War Between the “Slon” and “Vitya Ryazansky” Crime Groups

A bloody conflict between two powerful Ryazan crime groups escalated into an open war. The infamous club shootout, revenge killings, and brutal executions became a symbol of the lawless 1990s in post-Soviet Russia.

The “Bitch War” in the Gulag

A concise account of the Gulag’s internal “Bitch War”: why the criminal underworld split after WWII, how violence escalated in 1947–1953, the administration’s tactics, and what this feud changed in Soviet criminal culture.

Polish Thieves in Soviet Prisons: History and Conflict in the Criminal World

After the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, thousands of criminals from former Polish territories ended up in Soviet camps. Known as “Polish thieves,” they entered a world ruled by strict Thieves’ Law — and broke its rules. Their behavior sparked violent clashes with Russian criminals, marking a dark chapter in the history of the Gulag.

Solovki: From Monastery to Gulag

Once a spiritual fortress of Russian Orthodoxy, the Solovetsky Monastery became one of the first Soviet labor camps — a place where nobles, priests, intellectuals, and criminals were thrown together under brutal rule. This is the story of how faith, violence, and ideology collided on an isolated northern island.