![Sevvostlag Creation Order 1932](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Sevvostlag_Creation_Order_1932.png)
Sevvostlag (russian: Северо-восточные исправительно-трудовые лагеря, Севвостлаг, СВИТЛ, North-Eastern Corrective Labor Camps) was a system of
forced labor camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...
s set up to satisfy the workforce requirements of the ''
Dalstroy
Dalstroy (russian: Дальстро́й, ), also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Russian Far East, including the Magadan Region, Chukotka ...
'' construction trust in the
Kolyma
Kolyma (russian: Колыма́, ) is a region located in the Russian Far East. It is bounded to the north by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and by the Sea of Okhotsk to the south. The region gets its name from the Kolyma River an ...
region in April 1932. Organizationally being part of ''Dalstroy'' and under the management of the
Labor and Defence Council of
Sovnarkom
The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
, these camps were formally subordinated to
OGPU
The Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU; russian: Объединённое государственное политическое управление) was the intelligence and state security service and secret police of the Soviet Union f ...
later the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
directorate of the
Far Eastern Krai
Far Eastern Krai (Russian: Дальневосточный край) or Far Eastern Territory was a krai of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1938. Its capital was Khabarovsk. It was the largest admin ...
. On March 4, 1938 Sevvostlag was resubordinated to the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
GULAG
The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...
. In 1942 it was resubordinated back to Dalstroy. In 1949 it was renamed to the Directorate of Dalstroy Corrective Labor Camps (Управление исправительно-трудовых лагерей Дальстроя). In 1953, after the death of
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
, with the reform of the Soviet penal system, it was again resubordinated to Gulag and later reformed into the Directorate of Far Eastern Corrective Labor Camps Управление Северо-восточных исправительно-трудовых лагерей, УСВИТЛ (USVITL).
The inmates served on all Dalstroy projects, the major ones being
gold mining
Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...
and road construction, including the infamous
Kolyma Highway
The R504 Kolyma Highway (russian: Федеральная автомобильная дорога «Колыма», ''Federal'naya Avtomobil'naya Doroga «Kolyma»,'' "Federal Automobile Highway 'Kolyma'"), part of the M56 route, is a road throu ...
.
Structure and prisoners
Sevvostlag was the sole administration for the whole system of the forced labor of Dalstroy. The numerous labor camps usually mentioned for Kolyma and Dalstroy were formally referred to as subcamps ("camp subdivisions", лагерные подразделения) attached (but not subordinated) to the corresponding production units. Until the 1950s the only exceptions were camps on the periphery of Kolyma, which while servicing Dalstroy, were either detached from or attached to Sevostlag at various times.
[History of Dalstroy]
From 1945–1949 there was a subcamp for
Japanese prisoners of war in Magadan, which held 3,479 prisoners by January 1, 1949.
[
]
Notable inmates
*Nina Gagen-Torn
Nina Gagen-Torn ( rus, Ни́на Ива́новна Га́ген-То́рн, p=ˈnʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə ˈɡaɡʲɪn ˈtorn, a=Nina Ivanovna Garyen-Torn.ru.vorb.oga; — June 4, 1986) was a Russian and Soviet poet, writer, historian and ethno ...
, Russian poet, writer, historian and ethnographer
*Pavlo Khrystiuk
Pavlo Khrystiuk ( ua, Павло Оникійович Христюк; 1880 – September 19, 1941) was a Ukrainian cooperator, historian, journalist, political activist, and statesman.
Biography
Khrystiuk was born in the Kuban Oblast. He ...
, Ukrainian cooperator, historian, journalist, political activist, and statesman
*Sergei Korolev
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (russian: Сергей Павлович Королёв, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ kərɐˈlʲɵf, Ru-Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.ogg; ukr, Сергій Павлович Корольов, ...
, lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer
*Osip Mandelshtam
Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian Empire, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet poet. He was one of t ...
, poet
*Vladimir Narbut
Vladimir Ivanovich Narbut ( ua, Володимир Іванович Нарбут; 1888–1938) was a Ukrainian poet and a member of the Acmeist poetry, Acmeist group. He was also brother to artist and graphic designer Heorhiy Narbut, Heorgiy Na ...
, poet
* Boris Ruchyov, poet (1938–1947)
*Varlam Shalamov
Varlam Tikhonovich Shalamov (russian: Варла́м Ти́хонович Шала́мов; 18 June 1907 – 17 January 1982), baptized as Varlaam, was a Russian writer, journalist, poet and Gulag survivor. He spent much of the period from 1 ...
, author of the Kolyma Tales
''Kolyma Tales'' or ''Kolyma Stories'' (russian: Колымские рассказы, ''Kolymskiye rasskazy'') is the name given to six collections of short stories by Russian author Varlam Shalamov, about labour camp life in the Soviet Union. He ...
*Vsevolod Zaderatsky
Vsevolod Petrovich Zaderatsky (russian: Всеволод Петрович Задерацкий; 21 December 1891, Rivne, Russian Empire 1 February 1953, Lvov, USSR) was a Russian Imperial and Ukrainian Soviet composer, pianist and teacher at ...
, Russian and Ukrainian composer and pianist
Management and headquarters
The management was initially headquartered in the Srednikan settlement (now Ust-Srednekan
Ust-Srednekan (russian: Усть-Среднекан) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Srednekansky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kolyma River, where it is joined by its tributary the Srednekan, from Sey ...
, Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast ( rus, Магаданская область, r=Magadanskaya oblast, p=məgɐˈdanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Far East region of the country, and is adminis ...
). It was moved to the Nagayev Bay
Nagaev Bay or Nagayev Bay (russian: Бухта Нагаева, Нагаевская бухта), also known as Nagayeva Bay, is a bay within Taui Bay in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, Magadan Oblast, Russia. Geography
It is 6.4 km (4 ...
, and eventually to Magadan
Magadan ( rus, Магадан, p=məɡɐˈdan) is a port town and the administrative center of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Sea of Okhotsk in Nagayev Bay (within Taui Bay) and serving as a gateway to the Kolyma region.
History
Maga ...
.
Prominent camp officials included:
* Rodion Vaskov Rodion (russian: Родион) is a Slavic masculine given name of Greek origin, which is sometimes shortened to Rod. It may refer to
* Rodion Amirov, (born 2001), Russian ice hockey player
* Rodion Azarkhin (1931–2007), Russian musician
*Rodion ...
(Родион И. Васьков) – (11.03.32 – 09.28.34)
* Ivan Filippov
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
(Иван Г. Филиппов) – captain of state security (09.28.34 – 12.21.37)
* (Гаранин, Степан Николаевич) – (12.21.37 – 09.27.38)
* A. Vishnevetsky (А. А. Вишневецкий) – captain of state security (02.16.40 – 02.19.41)
* Yevekl Drabkin (Евекль Иделевич Драбкин) – colonel of state security (05.19.41 – 03.13.45)
* N. Titov (Н.Ф. Титов) – Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
(03.13.45 – 07.27.48)
* A. Derevianko (А. А. Деревянко) – Major General (07.27.48 – 05.03.51)
See also
*
Notes
;Specific
;General
Дальстрой
Link
* Documentary ''*** GOLD*** - lost in Siberia'
by Gerard Jacobs and Theo Uittenbogaard (VPRO/The Netherlands/1994) was filmed in the summer of 1993 in Magadan, along the ''Road of Bones'', through Ust-Umshug and Susuman and at the Sverovostok Zoloto gold mine, Siberia, by the first foreign film crew ever, visiting the Kolyma District -which had been under control of the Soviet secret service, under the company name Dalstroj, for over 60 years.
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Magadan Oblast
Camps of the Gulag