"When I Was Alone In The SHU, I Sang Ukrainian Songs."

• 30.01.2026, 13:59

Gennady Fedynich on what gave him strength in prison.

In an interview with Charter97.org, the leader of the REP trade union, former political prisoner Gennady Fedynich told what gave him the strength to hold on in prison:

- In prison, the "yellow-ticket holders," as political prisoners were called, were always at the forefront of the morning and evening checks. The attention was, of course, heightened, and it depended little on the local colony chiefs, because everything came from above. There was a command - it had to be obeyed. All political prisoners must be people who do not fulfill the internal order, violators. And if you are a violator, you are deprived of many privileges.

For example, when I entered the colony, I could spend 200 rubles from my pension in the local store. Four months later - only 80 rubles, and so on until the end of the term. What could I buy for 80 rubles? Practically nothing.

We, political prisoners-pensioners, were not forced to hand over money to the detachment fund, unlike others. Imagine, you are a convict, and you are obliged to give money to some unknown place. It is clear, if the TV set or washing machine is broken, you have to give money - no problem, it's for everyone. But in other moments - where does this money go? It is good that they gave a command not to use financial pressure on political prisoners.

For a year there were 4-5 deaths in the colony, because there were many pensioners, people older than me, but the point is clear: what kind of medical care can there be in the colonies?

I, having a legal education, helped prisoners to draw up various applications and other things. I was told that I would go to the penitentiary if I helped them. I said, "Show me the instruction where it is forbidden to give a person verbal advice." I don't write instead of him, I give advice in this respect. And people came regularly, almost every day with their own questions, and I had to answer them. Well, how could it be otherwise? These are people after all.

In the SHIZO as in the SHIZO. Of course, it's cold there. You sleep for 20-30 minutes, you can't get more at night, you do exercises to warm up. Of course, it puts a strain on the whole organism. When I was alone in the SHIZO, I sang songs, including Ukrainian songs, I know a lot of them. I will say about my health that in 2018 I got diabetes because of stress, and I had to be constantly injected with insulin, so the guards told me: "I wish you would leave soon, otherwise I have to carry medicine for you all the time, we are fed up with you, we will soon become nurses". I don't want to say that they pressed me terribly there - like every political prisoner. It was clear that it was an order from above, and they followed it.

We had good contact with the prisoners. As a pensioner, I did not go to the "promka" (industrial zone in the prison - Note: Charter97.org). But people went, exchanged information, because some people called their relatives, found out the news. As a rule, the calls of political prisoners were tapped: who was calling, what we were talking about and to whom we were calling. It's a situation that can't be influenced. And if you can't influence it, you have to accept it, find ways to make it more survivable for you.