Publisher's Synopsis
Wladimir Chertkov's book recalls Alexander Solzhenitsyn's famous work The GULAG Archipelago, because of its title, the material collected and the way the story is narrated: the book's style is documentary (it features real names and dates), encyclopaedic (it delves into the actions people took and the fate that awaited them, as well as medical, historical, physical, biological, legal, political and other material), and passionate (the author is no neutral observer but an active participant in the events).