22 Jul 2015 13:48:11
Question for kimphillby, because I'm not sure but I get the impression you know a lot about Russia. if you don't want to answer though, I won't be offended.

A friend has recently got me onto the Russian sleep experiments, just wanted to know what your thoughts are on the subject, if you heard anything about it etc. Also, are the pictures real to your knowledge? Like I said, you don't need to answer if you don't want.

 
22 Jul 2015 18:26:32
Certainly, I will provide something later after dinner and a long soak.

 
22 Jul 2015 21:36:50
Right then.

Did the nkvd experiment on political prisoners in the 1940s?

Yes. The nkvd did and the kgb continued to do so throughout its existence.

Did these experiments involve sleep deprivation?

It was a standard technique during the purges to extract "confessions". My understanding is these were refined involving drugs. The 2nd chief directorate of the kgb were the ones involved with policing the soviet union and various unfortunates fell into their hands. Some of this took part at the lubyanka at the back of Moscow centre but mainly at lefortovo and other facilities.

 
22 Jul 2015 22:10:35
As for this particular story, I'm not sure. I never heard anything about it during my career, although totally different directorates so not a surprise if some things are buried.

Is it true? Honestly I don't know, I'd have to look further into it. I'm not sure who I could ask either as the older generations have pretty much gone now.

However the version I've just read through to get some background read to me like a Hollywood horror movie.

I'm afraid I've not seen any pictures but pictures can be faked, incredibly easily at that with modern technology. Without provenance they could be anything.

Short of finding an eyewitness who was there (unlikely as their probably all dead), finding the original file in kgb archives (unlikely, you'd never get in and a lot of the most secret were shredded in '91) or without sufficient technical or medical knowledge of the compound used your not really going to have a definitive answer either way I'm afraid.

 
22 Jul 2015 22:45:36
Personally in conclusion I'd have to say I don't think its real. It starts off as something that plausibly could have happened. God knows in the 1940s there were enough captured nazi scientists eager to carry on their crackpot experiments and enough of our own as well and a large supply of victims to use. But it descends into some gore soaked horror show with various medical and historical inaccuracies. Blood loss alone kills reasonably quickly. So no for me its not real. Maybe something similar happened and someone's exaggerated to make a good scare story.

 
24 Jul 2015 00:39:35
Is this not a creepypasta?

 
24 Jul 2015 10:48:31
Who's creepypasta? I just provided general background, yes this sort of thing went on but I think is particular case is over exaggerated for the purposes of providing a good scare story. If this sort of thing interests anyone there are plenty of true stories out there of experiments conducted by the Germans, Japanese and soviets on prisoners.

As I said experiments were widely conducted into the effects of a range of drugs and or techniques, the gulags provided a stream of unwilling volunteers. The first half of this story seems entirely plausible, its the sort of thing that happened. The second half descends into a bad horror movie and is quite unrealistic.

 
25 Jul 2015 09:12:30
Thanks for the info Kim, I agree, it sounds as though they are planting the seeds to make a film out of it.

 
26 Jul 2015 00:53:19
At the next reunion meeting of section 3 I may wait till the 3rd bottle of vodka and ask a few leading questions.

 
26 Jul 2015 23:27:10
Kim creepypasta is a source of scary stories on the web. The russian sleep experiment is one of them, I read it a few years ago.