Time to read: 12 minutes(s)

The news that officials discussed the development of a tourism cluster in the village of Kharp, appeared in a local public group 59 minutes after the death was reported Alexey Navalny.

“We see how the city is being transformed, — journalists quoted the Yamal governor Dmitry Artyukhov. - It’s noticeable that everything is done in a very businesslike manner and with soul.”

In four days, the news about officials has 23 likes, zero comments, and no reposts.

The news about Navalny has 176 likes, 165 comments, and 310 reposts.

There are no attractions here, Navalny was the main attraction, — one of the residents of Kharp told NeMoskva. — The whole world was watching our little Harp, but inside the village itself, this "landmark" was neither seen nor heard. We learned about Navalny's life only from the world news.

What life is like in a village of five thousand people beyond the Arctic Circle, what the locals are saying, and how they are reacting to the death of political prisoner No. 1—in this NeMoskva article.

Harsh land

village Harp founded in the 1960s, when the railway was being built LabytnangiThis is the only land connection with the mainland.

The roads extend only to the north and end at the Ob River, on the opposite bank of which stands Salekhard, the administrative center of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The bridge was never built before. At its narrowest point, the waterway is two and a half kilometers wide. In winter, it is crossed by ice bridge, and in summer, by ferry.

From Kharp to Labytnangi - 36 kilometers, to Salekhard — 56. The road is very winding. According to locals, cars often crash there, veering off the road into the tundra or small lakes.

All settlements are located above the Arctic Circle, in the permafrost zone. Kharp translates from Nenets as "Northern Lights," and Labytnangi as "Seven Larches."

The village has two main smells: larch and railroad ties.

Summers here are short, cool, and cloudy. In winter, Kharp is engulfed by snowstorms and icy winds.

«First night, then evening, then night again, - So described the duration of the day Navalny himself. — It's been the coldest I've seen so far, -32°C. But even at that temperature, you can only walk for more than half an hour if you have time to grow a new nose, ears, and fingers. And what a wonderful fresh breeze blows into the yard, despite the concrete fence—it's just wow!

The Arctic Ocean is 200 km from Kharp as the crow flies (where the Kara Sea begins). Moscow is 2000 km away.

The village consists of several dozen high-rise buildings. They are painted in various colors to break up the monotonous snowy landscape. Within, there are two prison colonies, a school, kindergartens, a community center, and even a health center. There's a clinic, but for more or less adequate treatment, you still have to travel to Labytnangi. A college and large stores are also located there.

A few years ago, the Magnit supermarket finally reached Kharp, breaking the local retailers' price monopoly. This was perhaps the most talked-about event until December of last year, when Navalny was transferred to the local penal colony.

When he was brought in, various media outlets began contacting local residents via social media, asking them to at least take photos of the colony.

But We were afraid to take photos on the streets because the village is tiny and a dead end. Any visitor or prying eye is immediately noticeable here, one of NeMoskva's interlocutors said. Here, everyone is either a government employee, a prison worker, or a health center employee.

Those working in the public sector don't complain about their salaries: between 60 and 90 rubles per month. But such work isn't enough for everyone.

Some hunt, fish, and pick mushrooms. Others work shifts. One popular destination is Sakhalin, marketed as an "island of opportunity." They're trying to lure those with experience in the Federal Penitentiary Service. Recent openings include a position as head of a correctional unit at a pretrial detention center (65 to 85 rubles) and a junior inspector in the regime and supervision department in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (up to 70 rubles).

For someone with a college degree, landing a job as a salesperson at Harp is a blessing in disguise. A cashier's salary at Bristol ranges from 69 to 81 rubles (before taxes).

At the same time, a salary of 60 thousand is considered small for the North.

You can find many exotic ads for buying deer antlers in public groups: "we buy in unlimited quantities," "we take everything: sawn, broken, varnished."

After Navalny's death, another way to make money appeared.

«A popular Telegram channel is offering a high price for information about the February 16 incident in Correctional Colony No. 3 in the town of Kharp. reads one of the latest announcements. — We guarantee anonymity and confidentiality, payment in a convenient and secure way for you».

There were zero reactions.

Moment of glory

Another way to earn money in Kharp is by renting out apartments. Relatives of prisoners rent them when they come for visits. The price is around three and a half thousand rubles per night. The condition of the apartment can be terrible, but there's often no other option.

Following Navalny's death, there has been a surge in activity in the market.

"Everyone needs apartments; there are no more places left. Journalists are calling our people, attacking them, asking about hospitals. Some have decided to rent a place for a few days. People are running out of space; those who want to visit their loved ones are ready to buy one-room apartments."», - рассказал one of the residents told journalists from the NEFT publication.

There are no ads for one-room apartments for sale on social media. However, a newly renovated three-room apartment is currently for sale for four and a half million rubles.

The real estate market in Labytnangi and Kharpa is very small, — one of the interlocutors told NeMoskva. — We only have one agency, I think. Apartments take a year or a year and a half to sell. And they're most often bought with housing certificates: this is when the state provides funds to a specialist, who then selects a home within the specified limits. Most of the apartments are in barracks and two-story "BAM" buildings with warped windows, floors, and ceilings. [apparently, the interlocutor is talking about serial house projects, popularly called BAM-style].

When discussing the development of Kharp and its tourist appeal, officials are focusing on the construction of new housing. This year plan finally "resolve the issue of access to drinking water" and complete the construction of a water pipeline, treatment plant, and sewerage facilities.

They also promise to build a new school, a sports complex with a swimming pool, and repair the facades of four buildings.

How they praise each other! Residents make fun of officials. "When will the bridge be built across the Ob River?! Has everyone forgotten about this?! Spring is coming soon, and the suffering will begin for those who work or travel for medical treatment."

Comments on officials' promises are a rarity in Harp's public pages. They usually receive no response at all.

Sometimes likes appear on posts about local athletes' victories or humanitarian aid to the Special Forces. But most often, people are drawn to everyday moments.

«Maybe someone needs a kombucha mushroom (it peeled off) I can give it to them.», - wrote Svetlana N. on the evening of February 19.

«I need some kombucha. I can come by tomorrow, please send me the address.“,” another resident responded 38 minutes later.

«I've already given it away, there will be more in a week.“,” N. replied and received two more “reservations” for kombucha.

The cultural life in the village is also vibrant.

On February 15, a concert was held at the local community center in honor of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

On the morning of February 16, two rock bands were announced to perform on Saturday.

We promised you something interesting... And here's what we have prepared for you! reported DK. — Invited guests from Labytnangi, the rock bands "Black Widow" and "Friendship," will perform at the "Our Time" Festival.

Initial reactions to Navalny's death

According to NeMoskva's interlocutor, she learned of Navalny's death almost immediately while she was in the store.

The phone rang, a message came through. No one moved. Everyone was worried about the sour cream and milk they'd brought from the mainland. she recalls.

The fact that ordinary residents of the village “know the whole truth” or “have definitely heard something” is nothing more than an illusion.

The "zone" is very closed, we learn everything from the media, — says the woman. — When a post about the death was posted in the local newsgroup, no one commented for a long time. Brave people are few in our North. It's easy to get fired for your position. Everyone knows: keep quiet if you have a different opinion. And think about who you're talking to. Every other person's husband is either in jail or guarding a house. Or putting out a house that the person now in jail drunkenly set on fire.

Reading the comments, the interviewee was "stunned" by the statement of one of the residents, who positions herself as a fan of Shaman and reposts news about family values.

She wrote, "Mother Russia is being cleansed! How much filth and untruth he spoke about Russia! And how many more are there like him, pouring out streams of lies about Russia?" — recalls a resident of Harp. — So, I was very surprised by the bold and outraged responses. The post stirred up the public, albeit briefly. At work, the news was also discussed, but in a derogatory tone. They merely noted that Navalny's place in prison would soon be taken by someone else.

In Harp's publics ridiculed journalists who don't know that Labytnangi also has an ambulance and are skeptical of official reports of a team arriving within minutes.

«There's nothing in Harp, not even people. Just two zones.», - jokes Someone asks me to tell Moscow that the ambulance station is four houses away from the colony. It's a five-minute walk.

At the same time, residents emphasize that it is not doctors, but paramedics who drive ambulances.

«Just recently, we were discussing on Viber the problem of the lack of on-call doctors and the fact that their work is being delegated to paramedics. Maybe things will change now."," wrote one resident.

People also asked build a normal medical complex, open a children's, gynecological and surgical department, return the laboratory and recruit the missing doctors: "Stop thinking that everyone lives here temporarily.».

"The Kindest Cannibals"

Judging by the comments that appear in posts about Navalny's death, the population of Kharp is divided into three camps.

The first ones write that they “don’t give a damn so much that it’s even embarrassing.”

Others feel sorry for Navalny, offer condolences to his family, and believe that “they clearly helped him die.”

The third camp calls him a traitor who "pushed young people to protest." They believe his death benefits only "the Americans and Britain." They wish for "glassy earth" and believe those who pity the deceased should be jailed:The government will take you traitors. Go somewhere where everything is good.».

In terms of the content of these debates, Harp differs little from the rest of Russia.

«The kindest cannibals live in Harp"," one user wrote in the comments.

«The only connection the village has with everything that happened is that what happened here", they objected to him.

The people in the village are truly diverse. Browse social media and you'll see how politely they respond to questions from mothers and wives who are traveling to visit their loved ones in the colony or who haven't heard from them for weeks.

A recent post about the death of a local resident received 26 comments with warm words and condolences.

To them, Navalny is simply a stranger. One of thousands of prisoners serving time on the most serious charges.

"They found a criminal to make a big fuss about," one resident wrote. "What, aren't they interested in maniacs and rapists?"

The suggestion that "many people in Kharp are angry with him [Navalny] and didn't accept his position, especially the FSIN staff," also receives a logical response: "I'll tell you more—FSIN staff don't accept the position of any of the inmates. I hope this doesn't surprise you."

Harp has its own civil society. Its own truth. And its own Russia of the future. And it, understandably, has a prison tinge.

«Hello to all Kharpchans. I'd like someone from Correctional Colony No. 18 "Polar Owl" to read this post. addressed one of the VK users in August last year. — There's this bastard, Andrey S**********, sitting there, sentenced to life imprisonment. They supposedly recognized him as a victim. He suffered when they were beating him into confessing in Penal Colony No. 18. I'm more interested in this character as a monster who should die, suffering beforehand. And he's even coming out as a victim, the bastard. He killed people himself, brutally, children and elderly people. And he's still unhappy about being beaten, so he filed some kind of lawsuit."

"Didn't you kill an officer on duty with him?" — they asked in response.

"No, not me, — answered the seeker of justice. — "Yes, he escaped with it. And the fact that he attacked the employee was his revenge, and it wasn't part of our plans."

Instead of an epilogue

We didn't see any flowers at the monuments, " says a NeMoskva source, answering the question of whether there is a makeshift memorial to Navalny in the village. But we didn't go there on purpose. There were no daredevils. Although the entire area is filled with the graves of those who built the Baikal-Amur Mainline [as the locals call the line to Labytnangi, which was actually built by prisoners as part of the Transpolar Highway]. [An ambitious project that was never completed by the Soviet Union]. If even their memory wasn't immortalized here, what can we say about those who were repressed?