Federal Governmental Institution — Penal Colony No. 6 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Orenburg Oblast,[a] commonly known as the Black Dolphin Prison (Russian: Чёрный дельфин, romanized: Chyorny delʹfin) and formerly known as NKVD Prison No. 2 is a correctional facility in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia, near its border with Kazakhstan.[1] The prison is one of the oldest in Russia, and one of the first in the Orenburg Oblast to accept prisoners with life sentences. It gets its unofficial name from a prisoner-constructed[2] sculpture depicting a black dolphin, which is set in front of the main entrance.
Inmates are kept isolated in cells that have a set of three steel doors. For 90 minutes a day, they exercise in a large cage; during this time, cells are searched for contraband or illegal items. Inmates are also under 24-hour surveillance and supervision; they are forced to stand and forbidden from resting or sitting on their bunks from the time they awake until bedtime (roughly 16 hours). When prison officers make a command to the inmates, they must respond with the words "yes, sir." Every 15 minutes, a guard makes rounds to ensure Black Dolphin inmates are complying with the rules. The prisoners are fed soup four times a day,[3][better source needed] and are only allowed books, newspapers, and a radio.
Prison guards place blindfolds on arriving inmates so that they cannot map out the prison or plan escapes. The inmates are also blindfolded whenever they are transported between buildings. Black Dolphin prison officers have a unique form of escorting inmates: Prisoners are kept bent over at the waist while a guard holds their handcuffed hands behind their back, higher than the hips. This escort control tactic allows for maximum control while depriving the inmate of a view of his immediate surroundings (preventing them from escaping and/or attacking prison staff).[4]
Notable inmates
Current
Said Amirov (born 1954), politician sentenced to life for terrorism and issuing contract killings[5]
Yuri Tsiuman (born 1969), serial killer and rapist
Former
Sergey Maduev (1956–2000), serial killer and brigand; died from heart failure and diabetes complications.
Alexander Maslich (1972–2015), serial killer who committed four murders while incarcerated at different prisons; died at Black Dolphin from undisclosed causes[10]
Carola Neher (1900–1942), actress; sentenced to 10 years for Trotskyism; was incarcerated at three different prisons, including Black Dolphin, where she died from typhus[11][12][13][14]
Tariel Oniani (born 1952), mafia boss and thief in law, was incarcerated at Black Dolphin from 2010 to 2019 after being convicted of kidnapping and then released.
Mikhail Popkov (born 1964), serial killer, was incarcerated at Black Dolphin from 11 December 2018 until 2020 and then transferred.
Valery Skoptsov (1951–2004), serial killer, rapist, and thief; died from heart failure.
^Russian: Федеральное казённое учреждение — Исправительная колония №6 Управления Федеральной службы исполнения наказаний России по Оренбургской области, or shortly Russian: ФКУ ИК-6 УФСИН России по Оренбургской области
^Walter Held "Stalins deutsche Opfer und die Volksfront", in der Untergrund-Zeitschrift Unser Wort, Nr. 4/5, Oktober 1938, S. 7 f.; Michael Rohrwasser, Der Stalinismus und die Renegaten, Die Literatur der Exkommunisten, Stuttgart 1991, p. 163
