September 06, 2023

Navalny, Lexiconvict


Navalny, Lexiconvict
Protest signs reading "#FreeNavalny." Liza Poor, Unsplash.

The Russian Supreme Court rejected Alexei Navalny's lawsuit contesting a ban on using prison slang within the Melekhovo penal institution, where he's imprisoned. Navalny risked solitary confinement for using the vernacular.

Navalny's request for a list of prohibited terms was denied by prison authorities, leading to his highlighting an inconsistency: Despite widespread use of the same jargon within the facility, only he has faced repercussions. Initially, Federal Penitentiary Service officials denied the existence of such a list, but later admitted to a classified USSR document from 1983, prompting Navalny to take legal action.

In a Kovrov district court hearing, Navalny revealed that he faced the threat of solitary confinement for using terms such as balanda (referring to prison gruel), shkonka (a cell bunk), krysha (slang for protection), and zek (inmate).

Navalny highlighted the absurdity of prison slang restrictions by describing a hypothetical scenario of a Supreme Court justice stepping out of a sauna and exclaiming, “What a pleasure!” Technically, using the word kayf (pleasure) would be a prison violation since it is on the Ministry of Justice's list as slang for drug use. He argued that the word has become a part of everyday Russian even aside from drug-related connotations. Navalny also pointed out that terms like sledak (investigator) and terpila (victim), once associated with criminals, have now become accepted jargon in professional settings.

Supreme Court Justice Kirillov dismissed Navalny's lawsuit to reconsider the ban on prison slang, affirming that the prohibition on using terms from the "criminal environment" will remain unchanged.

You Might Also Like

Cruel and Unusual
  • August 06, 2023

Cruel and Unusual

The regime is hell-bent on silencing and slowly murdering Alexei Navalny. Here is his Last Word after his trumped up conviction last week.
Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign
  • June 21, 2023

Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign

Politician and political prisoner Alexei Navaly is launching a "big propaganda machine" to counter Putin and pro-war propaganda.
The Hygiene Hindrance
  • March 31, 2023

The Hygiene Hindrance

As a strange form of punishment, Alexei Navalny was reportedly placed in a cell with a prisoner who has bad hygiene. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955