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Russia · Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug · Kharp

IK-3 'Polar Wolf'

Federal penal colonySpecial regimemaleModerateMedium
Verified · Data dated
Aging · 5mo ago
Sources last reviewed on · data-as-of

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

For families

How to send mail, money, and visit IK-3 'Polar Wolf'

Step-by-step guidance using the Russia system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Open toolkit

Arctic-circle special-regime colony holding life-sentenced and terror-related inmates. One of the most isolated facilities in the Russian system.

Capacity

1,000

Current population

—

Occupancy

—

Year opened

1961

Operational

Figures from official sources · verified 20 May 2026 · methodology

Facility profile

Population held

male

Opened

1961

Region

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Security level

Special regime

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

Punishment-cell regime and cold-cell exposure documented by released prisoners.

Visiting

Long visits theoretically permitted per regime tier; routinely denied for political prisoners.

Mailing

Russian FSIN format. Delays in delivery widely reported by recipients.

Practical info

Located 1900 km north-east of Moscow; family visits require multi-day travel.

Known issues

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died at IK-3 on 16 February 2024; the cause has been disputed.

Notable inmates

Alexei Navalny (transferred December 2023; died 16 February 2024).

Contact & address

Kharp settlement, Kharp 629420

No public contact details available.

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

22/100
Moderate concern22/100
Overcrowding
0/30
Oversight reports
12/30
Structural flags
5/15
Death signals
5/15
Conditions text
0/10

What the score is responding to:

  • · 1 oversight report in the last 5 years
  • · Substantial documented known-issues record
  • · In-custody-death signal in sources

This facility scores 22. The national average across 2,130 scored Russia facilities is 19 — 3 points above national average.

Related facilities

All in Russia →

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

Compared to other facilities in Russia

2129 peers
Conditions risk scorethis: 22/100 · peers avg: 16/100 (+38%)

Higher risk than 100% of peer facilities in Russia.

Capacity (beds)this: 1000 · peers avg: 1081 (8%)

Reports

  • OVD-Info / Memorial16 Feb 2024

    Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny pronounced dead at IK-3. Cause disputed; Memorial calls for independent international investigation.

    source

Data completeness

86%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources

Cite this page

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

APA
World Prisons. (2026). IK-3 'Polar Wolf'. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/ik-3-polar-wolf
Chicago
"IK-3 'Polar Wolf'." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/ik-3-polar-wolf.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-ik-3-polar-wolf,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {IK-3 'Polar Wolf'},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/ik-3-polar-wolf},
  urldate = {2026-10-20}
}