Lefortovo Prison


Lefortovo Prison is a prison in Moscow, Russia, which, since 2005, has been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. It was built in 1881 and located in the Lefortovo District of Moscow, which it took its name from Franz Lefort, a close associate of Tsar Peter I the Great.
During the Great Purge, Lefortovo prison was used by NKVD for interrogations with torture. Lefortovo was an infamous KGB prison and investigative isolator in the Soviet Union for detainment of political prisoners. In 1994, it was transferred to the MVD; and, from 1996 to 2005, it was handed back to the FSB, a successor of the KGB. The prison is said to have strict detention conditions. Only visits of lawyers are allowed. Letters can be received but are read.

Notable prisoners