Past Life Room

Anna spent almost a year in the colony-settlement No. 22, located 50 km from Novosibirsk, with another one and a half ahead.

To this term, the court sentenced her for theft (part 2 of article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

All women who are serving sentences here have been convicted of intentional crimes of small and medium severity.

At large, Anna has a nine-year-old daughter, Alena, whom she has not seen in person during all this time - they communicate only by video link.

Anna did not begin to tell the child about where she really lives. 

“My child does not know the whole truth about where I am, she believes that my mother is on a long business trip.

Now my daughter is with her grandmother: my mother took responsibility for her upbringing.

We do not meet personally, but we have the opportunity to communicate by phone, by video link.

My daughter very often says that she misses me.

She misses me, ”Anna tells RT.

She says that at the beginning of her term, her biggest fear was to lose touch with Alena.

However, Anna is afraid to send doll houses and other crafts to her own daughter, fearing that the girl will think that she is not on a business trip.

Therefore, Anna began to make crafts for children from orphanages, who are completely devoid of parental care.

Together with other members of the local arts and crafts circle "Coloring", Anna knits socks, scarves and booties, which the colony administration passes on to children from low-income families and toddlers from the orphanage.

“Most of all in the colony I miss the smallest thing: to wake up in the morning, to hear a stomping, when a child comes running, crawls into your bed, hugs you and says:“ Good morning, ”the woman says.

  • © Photo from personal archive

The first miniature room that Anna glued together is almost an exact copy of her own bedroom, in which she once lived.

Then she made another room - a living room in blue tones.

Very soon, dolls will settle in these dwellings: toy rooms are already waiting in kindergartens, where the most successful models are transferred.

Anna dreams that after being released from the colony, she will finally finish building her own real house where she will live with her family.

Cardboard pot

Another member of the circle, Elena, says that working with her hands helps her to distract herself in anticipation of returning to her family.

Her sentence is due to end in 2023, but she hopes to be released on parole.

    “I started doing handicrafts when I was still free and when I came here I was glad that there is such a circle here and the opportunity to develop creatively, to do what I love.

    I often meet here with women who want to learn needlework, we communicate and learn from each other.

    On New Year's Eve we took part in the competition for the best New Year's toy and took third place among the colonies of the Novosibirsk region, ”says Elena, showing her work.

    One of the largest and most detailed rooms - the kitchen - she made with friends from a circle.

    They made vegetables, bread and other products from polymer clay, pots and pans from cardboard, some details, for example, miniature cutlery, Elena brought with her to the colony, bought them in a handicraft store.

    At home, her husband, 19-year-old daughter and two sons, 13 and 16 years old, are waiting for her, who know where their mother is.

    • © Photo from personal archive

    “Before coming here, I sat down and talked with the children, told why I was going to the colony.

    They understand and look forward to my return.

    Every day I imagine how I come home, how my children and I will walk on weekends in the park, go to the cinema and theaters.

    We used to go to the zoo often.

    I miss our daily conversations when the children talk about their day.

    Of course, we talk on the phone, but it's still not the same, ”says the interlocutor.

    Yana also talks about the fact that video calls cannot replace live communication with a child.

    She grew up in an orphanage, where she got in the fifth grade.

    Today her son is forced to live without a mother.

    “He is an adult, so there was no need to hide it, he knows where I am.

    Why deceive?

    He's waiting for me to come and pick him up.

    I call him every day after work, but I would like to hug and kiss him and quickly educate him further, ”she says.

    • © Photo from personal archive

    Yana's first handicraft was a model of an airplane, which she made before Victory Day, when she arrived at colony number 22 after quarantine.

    After that, the woman began to knit booties and socks for children from orphanages.

    Before the new year, she was able to surprise her son as well: see him live and give a sweet gift that she bought for her salary.

    RT expresses gratitude for the help in preparing the material to the cable television studio of the colony-settlement number 22, in which convicts learn the basics of television journalism.