The Meanings Behind Common Russian Prison Tattoos


Decoding the hidden meaning behind Russian prison tattoos (Photos)

Photographs of tattooed Soviet prisoners, held in police files until now, are about to be published for the first time. BBC Culture decodes the body art.


The Secret Meanings Behind Russian Prison Tattoos

The ink created and worn in Russian prisons is a mysterious and often intimidating part of the world of tattoos. These tattoos often represent a hostile set of beliefs, a crime, or where the wearer stands in the criminal underworld. However, they can be helpful for prison authorities because they can give vital information.


The Meanings Behind Common Russian Prison Tattoos

Here are 15 tattoos and their secret meanings. Know a different meaning for the tattoos displayed here? Share it in the comments. Be sure to check out more of our coverage on prison tattoos, including 15 more prison tattoos and their meanings, 12 Russian prison tattoos and their meanings, and a collection of inmate takes on prison ink.


The Secret Meanings Behind Russian Prison Tattoos

Russian Prison Tattoos. 03/07/2014. 14/05/2022. Meet the Slavs. Meet the Slavs. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the life of the vory v zakone (or thieves in law, members of Russian organized crime) has become a subject of great interest. From life in prison to the stories of individuals, this almost secretive organization has been receiving.


Prison Tattoos Designs, Ideas and Meaning Tattoos For You

Here are 12 Russian prison tattoos and their perceived meanings. Thieves' stars (Photo History Channel/YouTube) Depending on the location on the body, the stars convey a prisoner's status. When worn on the knees, the stars are a sign of a prisoner who commands respect. The implied meaning is "I will never get on my knees in front of anyone."


Russian Prison Tattoos, Russian Criminal Tattoo, Russian Tattoo, Chest

Arkady Bronnikov/Fuel Fri 23 Mar 2018 02.00 EDT 10.32 EDT Beetle, spider, fly on a background of the prison bars or entangled in the web of the network - indicates that most of his life was spent.


The Dark Art of Russian Prison Tattoos Meanings, Techniques, and

1 / 9 Throughout the Communist era, convicts in the Soviet prison system cultivated a visual language through tattoo art. Their markings, which were often applied by fellow inmates using an.


The Secret Meanings Of Russian Prison Tattoos

Soviet prison tattoos hid a rich and elaborate visual language, revealing everything from an inmate's rank to their conviction. A study of prisoners' body art revealed cryptic symbols, recurring motifs, and unwritten laws known only to those on the inside.


Russian Prison Star Tattoo Meaning Best Design Idea

Russian Criminal Tattoo Police Files, published by FUEL, is probably the largest collection of prison tattoo photographs to date, at 256 pages. In the 1930s, Russian criminal castes began to emerge, such as the Masti (suits) and the Vor v Zakone (rus.


The Symbolism Of Russian Prison Tattoos Wow Gallery eBaum's World

These photographs of Russian prisoners tattoos were collected by Arkady Bronnikov from the mid-1960sยญ to mid-1980s. A senior expert in criminalistics at the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs for over thirty years, part of his duties involved visiting correctional institutions of the Ural and Siberia regions. More.


Marked Men Russian Prison Tattoos Onelargeprawn

01/08/2023. Russian criminal tattoos have a strong cultural and aesthetic significance. Crude, bold and often frightening, these hand poked black and white images also bound to a specific symbolic system. Since the early years of the 20th-century prison tattoos in the Soviet Union indicate criminal career and rank.


Rare photographs from coded world of Russian criminal tattoos, 1960

Russian tattoos can be thought of like a military decoration, they can only be awarded after a crime has been committed. For instance, a tattoo of a dagger through the neck symbolizes that a convict has murdered someone while in prison and is now a hitman available for hire.


Prison Tattoos Designs, Ideas and Meaning Tattoos For You

1. 'Onion' domes Natalya Nosova This is one of the most widespread tattoo designs that is easily recognizable in the Russian criminal underworld. Only a convict who has served his time can get.


Marked Men Russian Prison Tattoos Onelargeprawn

In Russian criminal jargon or Fenya (ั„ะตะฝั), a full set of tattoos is known as frak s ordenami (a tailcoat with decorations). The tattoos show a "service record" of achievements and failures, prison sentences and the type of work a criminal does.


Rare photographs from coded world of Russian criminal tattoos, 1960

12 Russian Prison Tattoos and Their Meanings Nathan Johnson Published 09/09/2021 in wow Life in Russian prisons is no joke, and those who survive tend to wear their histories openly in the form of specifically coded symbols that instantly tell other prisoners what they're about. List View Player View Grid View Advertisement 1.


Rare photographs from coded world of Russian criminal tattoos, 1960

The designs of Russian prison tattoos include elaborate religious scenes that denote if the wearer is a legitimate thief, stars that denote a criminal leader, elaborate codes in multiple languages, and images of defiance against prison authority. A trained observer can tell everything about a Russian prisoner by their tattoos.