Maxim Galkin's Story: From Imitation to Love in AnshLag.

In Haifa, at the 'House of the Great Russian Book' publishing house, there was a presentation of Maxim Galkin's* autobiographical book 'Archipelago AnshLag'. The comedian said that during a New Year's party at friends' place, he mimicked President Boris Yeltsin, which led to an offer to parody the head of state at other parties and eventually to a paid concert opportunity.

After receiving payment for a performance, law enforcement drafted a report on Galkin. He was swiftly tried and sent to the Astrakhan-Nikolsky penal camp, abbreviated as AnshLag.

The journey to the camp seemed endless, passing through Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Sviyazhsk, Kazan... Galkin shared that, to avoid going mad, the prisoners put on theatrical performances for each other, which the head of the guard, Regina, and eventually all the prison ship staff, began to attend.

Eventually, the prison camp’s head, Yan Petros, realized the performances were a 'gold mine' and regularly sent prisoners back to Moscow for 'further investigation' and back, making them perform in cultural houses along the way. It was during these trips that Galkin met his future wife, who later freed him from the 'Volga penal servitude'.

* Maxim Galkin has been included in the register of foreign agents in Russia.