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Life inside a Siberian high-security prison

Inmate Boris Kovalyov, 32, plays an accordion as he prepares for an inter-prison talent contest at a high-security prison outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on April 30.
Inmate Boris Kovalyov, 32, plays an accordion as he prepares for an inter-prison talent contest at a high-security prison outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on April 30.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
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An inmate walks outside prison camp number 17 outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14. The poster reads,
An inmate walks outside prison camp number 17 outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14. The poster reads,Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Inmates walk at the high-security prison outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.
Inmates walk at the high-security prison outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters

Reuters photographer Ilya Naymushin spent time documenting life inside Siberian prisons, including high-security male prison camp number 17, a facility outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk for male inmates who are serving a sentence for the first time and have been convicted for serious crimes. The prisoners work in wood and metal processing shops, manufacture furniture, sew clothes and do other kinds of work. They can also take part in educational, sport and cultural programs.

Read Naymushin's personal account on photographing the Siberian prison on the Reuters Photographers blog.

-- Reuters

Editor's note: Images in this post were shot in April and May, but made available to NBC News today.

An officer enters a zone where especially strict conditions are imposed inside a high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on May 14.
An officer enters a zone where especially strict conditions are imposed inside a high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on May 14.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
An officer searches an inmate at a control point between work and residential zones.
An officer searches an inmate at a control point between work and residential zones.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Inmates work in a metal processing shop inside the prison camp outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.
Inmates work in a metal processing shop inside the prison camp outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Inmates stand in line for dinner at prison camp number outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.
Inmates stand in line for dinner at prison camp number outside the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on May 14.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
An inmate serves prisoners dinner inside a zone where especially strict conditions are imposed.
An inmate serves prisoners dinner inside a zone where especially strict conditions are imposed.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
An Orthodox priest leads the Easter service during the week after Orthodox Easter at the high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.
An Orthodox priest leads the Easter service during the week after Orthodox Easter at the high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Boris Kovalyov, a prisoner, stands inside a cell as he receives a letter from his wife at the high-security prison outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on April 30.
Boris Kovalyov, a prisoner, stands inside a cell as he receives a letter from his wife at the high-security prison outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on April 30.Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
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