Russia launches a network of labour camps situated nearby the strategic big industrial projects, including in Siberia. First prisoners are scheduled to work next month.

The first 600 prisoners can start work on the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) in June. Contractors of the Russian Railways OJSC are beginning to register them for work that does not require high qualifications.

The prisoners will work as laborers, concrete workers, and reinforcement workers at the construction sites of the Eastern landfill. According to the newspaper, the company Promstroy is going to attract 100 convicts to work. The contractor stated that a contract is being signed with the correctional center. The company TS Stroy LLC from June 15 will provide jobs for about 430 prisoners.

Russian Railways refused to comment on the preparation of the first convicts for work. The Russian government institution responsible for the management of the prisons could not give a prompt comment.

Kremlin agency: it will not be a new GULAG

The director of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Alexander Kalashnikov, confirmed the institution is ready to build labor camps for prisoners at large facilities where there is a shortage of labor. At the same time, he stressed that it will not be a gulag, it will be new decent conditions, Russian agency TASS quoted Kalashnikov.

According to him, now in Russia, about 188 thousand prisoners have the right to ask to replace the unserved part of the term with forced labor.

Prisoners who have been assigned forced labor can work in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in Taimyr, in the Magadan Region, in Norilsk, and on the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service added.