Segezha

Segezha (Russian: Сеге́жа; krl: Segeža; Finnish: Segeža) is a town and the administrative center of Segezhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located 267 kilometers (166 mi) north of Petrozavodsk on the Segezha River and on the western shore of Lake Vygozero. Population:

History

The town was founded as a railway station on Murmansk Railway in 1915.^{[citation needed]} A small settlement grew around the station; it was granted town status in 1943.^{[citation needed]} The area around Segezha held many of the early camps within the Soviet gulag system and was known as Segezhlag.^[1]

The Penal Colony 7 is located 4 km north of Segezha's center (63°46′27″N 34°17′39″E). In June 2011, Mikhail Khodorkovsky was moved here to serve his sentence.^[2] Russian activist Ildar Dadin writes that he was tortured in this prison in September 2016.^[3]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Segezha serves as the administrative center of Segezhsky District, to which it is directly subordinated.^[4] As a municipal division, the town of Segezha is incorporated within Segezhsky Municipal District as Segezhskoye Urban Settlement.^[5]

Economy

Segezha is the location of the Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in Russia.

References

Notes

1. ^ "Virtual Gulag museum"
2. ^ "Russia's Mikhail Khodorkovsky released, flies to Berlin | CBC News"
3. ^ Ildar Dadin: deadly torture in Karelian prison The Independent Barents Observer AS, 2016
4. ^ Law #871-RZK
5. ^ Law #813-RZK