Unzhlag

Unzhlag or Unzhensky ITL (Unzhensky corrective labor camp) (Russian: Унжлаг, Унженский ИТЛ) was a camp of the GULAG system of labor camps in the Soviet Union. Named after the Unzha River, it has headquarters at the railway station Sukhobezvodnoye (sometimes Sukhobezvodnaya) (Сухобезводное, Сухобезводная), Gorky Oblast. It operated from February 5, 1938 to 1960. Main operation was logging and wood processing industries. In addition a wide variety of other small-scale industries: construction, metalworking, railroad servicing, clothing, footwear, pottery production, etc. The camp had 30 sites (camp site: лагпункт) ^[1]

Notable inmates

• Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, Azerbaijani statesman and writer.
• Lev Kopelev describes his experience in Unzhlag in his book, To Be Preserved Forever.^[2]
• Yanka Shutovich, Belarusian literary critic, publisher, and cultural activist; served some of his time in Unzhlag, among several other camps.
• Mikhail Yakubovich, Russian revolutionary and Soviet statesman, Menshevik.

References

1. "Система исправительно-трудовых лагерей в СССР" (select "УНЖЕНСКИЙ ИТЛ" in the index)
2. Lev Kopelev, To Be Preserved Forever ("Хранить вечно"), 1976. Глава двадцать шестая. Сухобезводная. Унжлаг