A prisoner from Kherson told how he became friends with Efremov: he came out a Russian

Stanislav and three other prisoners of the TsVIG became the first Ukrainians who had their deportation decision canceled in record time and issued a “Red Book” document. All this, one might say, was foreseen by the actor Mikhail Efremov, who dedicated poems to Stas and was able to pass them on to him back in the colony. There are such lines there: “And Stas may not be afraid of the extradition process. Kherson has become Russian now and all of its police.”

The story of true friendship between the Ukrainian Stas and the Russian “Uncle Misha”, as well as the fate of all those citizens of Ukraine who were released from the colonies, but are still in the TsVIGs – in the material of the “MK” observer.

About the ups and downs of the Ukrainians, who served their term in Russian colonies “from start to finish”, but did not receive the long-awaited freedom (instead, they were transferred to the TsVIG) – “MK” wrote more than once. Since in respect of all of them at one time it was decided that they were undesirable to stay in the Russian Federation, they had to be deported to Ukraine. But it was not possible to agree on this with the Ukrainian side and create a humanitarian corridor. And many Ukrainians do not want to return to their homeland, with which they have little connection. Here is one example: Ruslan Mejidov, a citizen of Ukraine, moved to Russia long before his arrest, moreover, his father, as well as his wife and two small children, are citizens of the Russian Federation. For almost seven months, Ruslan has been in the TsVIG, where he was placed after serving a two-year sentence for a minor crime.

“During this time, we first tried to challenge his detention there through the court (we didn’t satisfy), then we also tried to cancel the deportation through the court (again they refused), – says Kristina’s wife. the court filed a motion to extend his detention in the TsVIG, indicating that deportation is impossible for obvious reasons. It is not known how long the hostilities will go on, and it turns out that he will be kept in the TsVIG for years?

Many Ukrainians are still in this position. But for some of them, an unexpected solution was found.

“I am being released today,” said Alexander joyfully, with whom I have been in touch all these months. – I have now solemnly handed over the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. I’m from Zaporozhye. Here’s how it happened: they came from the migration service and offered to renounce Ukrainian citizenship and get Russian. I agreed. All the same, after all, the Zaporozhye region was annexed, and I have to return there, my relatives are waiting there.

Alexander is 41 years old and has three children. At one time, from Zaporozhye, he went to the Krasnodar Territory to earn money. He worked as an installer of air conditioners, he sent money home. One day, he, along with friends in one of the apartments, took money from the owners. They charged them with “robbery”, the court sentenced them to 7 years. Alexander, as they say, “rewound” the entire term in the Saratov region, famous for torture. Until the release, he did not even count days, minutes. And now, instead of his will, he ended up in a new prison – ZVIG. Strange as it may sound, but the annexation of Zaporozhye helped him finally free himself. In a record time – just one week – he was given citizenship of the Russian Federation and the decision to stay in Russia was canceled. In addition to him, three more received passports, including 27-year-old Stanislav from Kherson. There are at least two intrigues in his story. But it’s better to let him tell about it himself (we talked to him after his release, which took place last Friday, October 28, 2022).

– I already celebrated my release with my friend Lesha – by the way, he was also serving his sentence in Alekseevka, Belgorod colony, and we met him there. There I became friends with Mikhail Efremov.

– Are you really friends?

– Yes. We had a small company – me, Bendersky, Shum, Uncle Misha …

When I arrived at the colony, I immediately went into quarantine. And they told me that literally three weeks before me, Mikhail Efremov was sitting there. That is, he and I “came” to this camp at the same time. After quarantine, I was assigned to a detachment. It turned out that Efremov’s detachment was in the neighborhood, one floor below. I went down and met.

– And how was it?

– He was lying on the bed. I approached, I said: “Hello, Uncle Misha! How are you?”. He answered so calmly. He spoke about his criminal case. I told him that I write poetry and read a few. On this “wave” began to communicate. I let him evaluate what I write.

We talked with him all day long, different jokes. I had friends – Sergey and Lesha (he was released earlier and just met me today). And Seryoga and Uncle Misha assembled locks in the production workshop.

– What locks?

– Under Casper (work suits – author’s note). Well, “dog”, “snake”. Efremov works like everyone else. He has no privileges. But he participates in various competitions all the time, he is engaged in creativity. In general, we spent a year and a half side by side with him.

How is he in communication?

– He is generally normal in communication with everyone. Behaves like this or really like that, I don’t know. But never once did he show arrogance.

Telling jokes. It was possible to joke with him himself, he was never offended. Here’s an example for you. New boys, when they stopped by, all get to know him, they are interested. And then one day they ask: “What was the last film you starred in?”. He replies: “Flying.” And I add: “Flying along the Garden Ring.” I joked like this (maybe not very well). He smiled (probably rather sadly). Another would have regarded as impudence, pull up. But he definitely understands humor.

– What did he do in his free time?

– Everyone in the camp knows that Uncle Misha loves to watch football, cannot live without him. Doesn’t miss a single match.

He spends a lot of time answering emails. He sits with men, solves crossword puzzles.

– And when is creativity?

– He did everything. In my presence, Uncle Misha and Bendersky wrote the story “The Plague of the 21st Century” about drugs. Plot: the boy was selling this poison, the girl died of an overdose, her father began to look to get even with him. Uncle Misha gave me a draft to read.

As early as the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Dostoevsky, he wrote a modern history of Crime and Punishment. It’s about how a 15-year-old boy stabbed his girlfriend to death. It really happened, the guy was sitting with us.

In general, he (Uncle Misha) writes a lot of things there. And he praised my poetry.

– Show?

– Of course. I’ll show you something cooler – Efremov’s poems, which he dedicated to me.

– What is this about?

– To my release. In April they put me in a punishment cell and kept me there without getting out for 104 days, just right until the end of my term.

– For what? And it’s illegal to keep so many days.

– Illegal. The head of the colony, Sergei Plyasov, did not like me, and this was all happening on his orders. It all started with the fact that he called me and told me to wear a bandage with the letter “Z” (since I am Ukrainian). Maybe he was joking, I don’t know. But I refused. He called me a Banderist, a fascist, and ordered me to a punishment cell. Uncle Misha tried to intercede, but he went on principle.

I was released on the 20th. The head of the colony did not let any of the convicts say goodbye. Uncle Misha waited for a moment, supposedly came up to smoke. And at that moment, our mutual friend gave me a magazine with the words: “Read carefully on the road.” I opened it, and there was a sheet with the inscription “Stas to be released from Uncle Misha.”

“In addition to various disasters,

that visit us

We know the prisoner P … in,

Well, from Kherson Stas!

This Stas passed the time with us.

Everyone has heard of Stas.

Decent man, player.

Stayed under the roof”

(Under the “roof” means in the punishment cell – author’s note).

– From the colony you are not free, but in the TsVIG?

Yes, from prison to prison. I am a citizen of Ukraine, there was a decision about the undesirability of my stay in Russia. And so I “stopped” at the Belgorod TsVIG on July 21. And spent almost three months there. They didn’t want to let go or be deported. Then they called me and introduced me to the migration service. They said that since Kherson is a territory of the Russian Federation, all its inhabitants are citizens of the Russian Federation. I was given a choice. “You can refuse, or you can agree.” The difference is that if you stay with a Ukrainian passport, it is not clear when you will leave the TsVIG. And I decided to get a Russian passport. By the way, Ukrainian was not taken away from me either. So right now I have two. Yesterday they canceled the decision on my deportation and on the undesirability of my stay in the Russian Federation (it was for a period of 8 years).

– Will you return to Kherson?

– Yes, I was born there, my mother is there. But I have a girlfriend and a little daughter in Moscow. So I want them too. I worked in Moscow before my arrest.

– Did you meet a girl there?

– Not. We met in Paris. At that time, we were both studying in Europe: I (Ukrainian) in France, she (Russian) in London. I studied to be a navigator, she studied to be a linguist. She came to Paris for a performance by a modeling agency. I accidentally got there, heard Russian speech, approached, got acquainted. And then my daughter was born in … Spain (my girlfriend went there on purpose to give birth).

– Funny and romantic!

– When her studies ended, she returned to Moscow. And I – to her and my daughter. But it was difficult with work, I got to a construction site, and then it happened .. As a result, they gave three years for robbery.

– I wish you never to return to places not so remote, even if a good company with a people’s favorite is waiting for you there.

– Thanks. It would be nice if all other Ukrainians were released from the TsVIG. There are still 15 people (in the Belgorod center) toiling.

Some of the “residents” of the ZVIG sadly joke: “They say, what should we wait until our cities are annexed to the Russian Federation, so that they finally let us out?” For some reason, the courts refuse to release them when all reasonable periods of stay pending deportation have long expired.