I went to a remarkable event last night. A lecture on the Soviet system of prisons, commonly known as the Gulag, by historian Giles Udy, followed by an interview with Ivanna, a 96-year-old survivor of the forced labour camps. A rare opportunity that may not come again.

Ivanna was held in the infamous Kolyma system of camps. An important aspect of the Gulag system was to provide slave labour to exploit the vast natural resources of the Soviet Union’s far north: resources like timber, uranium, and gold. At its height Kolyma’s dark alchemy produced some 33 tons of gold in a year. The same year, it shipped in 30 tons of barbed wire.

Ivanna spoke of the tortures she and her fellow-prisoners endured, the endless hunger and cold, and the small moments of kindness like light breaking through. A guard handing over an apple. A shared piece of bread. A loving correspondence with a male prisoner she never met (sexes were housed separately), that lasted 13 years.

Here’s a video (not from the event) of Ivanna, discussing her experiences.