"Bites into the legs"

Russian prisons have “entire cat colony”

The aim of Russian prisons is to break the inmates.

(Bild: AFP)

Catastrophic hygienic conditions, torture and endless work - that describes the brutality of Russian prisons in a few words. Every now and then, however, there may be a ray of hope in this darkness.

The notorious Butyrka prison lurks in the middle of Moscow's expensive city center - according to human rights activists, it is one of the harshest penal camps in Russia. The inmates live crammed together day and night in a space that is far too small. But in addition to all the abuses, there are also velvet paws that give the Russians comfort.

"There is a gate near one of the walls of the detention center, on the side of the cul-de-sac where the inner courtyards are located, not far from the police towers. It is not completely closed and every now and then you can spot cats there," the Russian exile medium Medusa quotes a woman called Luisa.

There are so many of them that they live both inside and outside the prison. They often lie in the grass not far from the prison walls. Luisa has adopted one such four-legged friend - Musja the cat. And she has a very special fate.

This is Musja.

(Bild: Luisa)

About Pavel and the manifesto
On June 11, 2021, the then 20-year-old Pavel Krisyevich marched onto Red Square and courageously proclaimed a manifesto against the police state. He then fired blanks into the air and fell to the ground. After a year and two months in custody, the artist was sentenced to five years in prison.

There was a "whole colony of cats" in Butyrka, the Russian told us. In Pavel's cell, Musya the cat was constantly biting the inmates' legs and sometimes even tried to pull the earplugs out of the sleeping inmates' ears. But despite her boisterous character, she was cherished and cared for by everyone. "Musja doesn't walk around the cell at all, because everyone takes turns carrying her in their arms," Medusa quotes from one of Pavel's letters to the editors.

Musja had many fans, you could say she was very popular in certain circles!

Luisa

"Only has advantages"
"Musja only has advantages, apart from the whole pile of ropes she chewed through, the square meters of wallpaper she tore up and the rags she confused with the litter tray," says Pawel. "Even if I don't like the fact that Musja sleeps in my hammock all the time ... and sits on the letters while I write them. Even now she lies on it and licks her tummy," explains the Russian. But all is forgiven for the peace the cat brings.

When Pavel was due to be transferred to another prison in December 2022, he was worried. Who would take care of this cat with the headstrong character?

New home for the "ex-prisoner"
Luisa was on a trip abroad when a friend sent her a message about Musja's "liberation". "Maybe you'll take her?" she enthused. "I wouldn't have thought that a cat like that would be looking for a new owner," says Luisa - "Musja had a lot of fans, you could say she was very popular in certain circles! Today, the Russian can no longer imagine life without the velvet paw with the unusual past. Because the cat also distracts her from the harsh Russian reality, admits Luisa.