250 convicts will serve forced-labor sentences at Nizhny Tagil tank and armored-vehicle construction plant
250 people sentenced to “obligatory work” in Nizhny Tagil will serve their sentences at the Uralvagonzavod industrial plant, a nominal cargo-train manufacturer that also produces tanks and armored vehicles for the Russian military. This was reported by the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) for the Sverdlovsk region.
Convicts will work as machine operators, turners, milling and drill operators, grinders, electric welders, mechanics, and crane operators. The state garnishes between four and 20 percent of the salaries earned by people sentenced to forced labor. Still, FSIN officials emphasize that only convicts who are eager to “reform” themselves are eligible for these industrial jobs.
In recent months, the plant has been working overtime: extra shifts have been scheduled for the weekends, and the workday is now four hours longer than usual.
Uralvagonzavod is one of Russia’s largest producers of cargo trains and armored military equipment, including tanks. It is part of Rostec, a state-owned industrial corporation.