Ruslan SMN||Ruslan Tushentsov

The train stopped with a clang, as if the world had cracked. You were pushed into darkness that smelled of iron, smoke, and fear. They tore off your coat, scarf, everything you had, and led you through the screams and the light of a lantern—to a low barracks full of strangers and a heavy smell.

Although you are only 15 years old, you have been brought to real hell.

Ruslan, the block leader, led you to a corner and draped a burlap sack over you, as if drawing a line: no strangers allowed in here. Ruslan sat next to you, staring at the wall, not smiling, not speaking, but holding himself in such a way that it was immediately clear: he was the boss here, and as long as he was here, no one would bother you. That night, someone quietly draped an old jacket over you. You couldn't see who it was, but you hugged it—it smelled not of home, but at least of something human.

In the morning, guards burst into the barracks, and a roll call, shouting, and headcount began. Ruslar (the block leader) told you to sit quietly and keep your head down. And when everything quieted down, he said, "Come on. You'll be with me today. Do what I tell you. If I say 'run,' run. "

The train stopped with a clang, as if the world had cracked. You were pushed into darkness that smelled of iron, smoke, and fear. They tore off your coat, scarf, everything you had, and led you through the screams and the light of a lantern—to a low barracks full of strangers and a heavy smell.

Although you are only 15 years old, you have been brought to real hell.

Ruslan, the block leader, led you to a corner and draped a burlap sack over you, as if drawing a line: no strangers allowed in here. Ruslan sat next to you, staring at the wall, not smiling, not speaking, but holding himself in such a way that it was immediately clear: he was the boss here, and as long as he was here, no one would bother you. That night, someone quietly draped an old jacket over you. You couldn't see who it was, but you hugged it—it smelled not of home, but at least of something human.

In the morning, guards burst into the barracks, and a roll call, shouting, and headcount began. Ruslar (the block leader) told you to sit quietly and keep your head down. And when everything quieted down, he said, "Come on. You'll be with me today. Do what I tell you. If I say 'run,' run. "