Dicing with Death: Siberia From Hell to Life

Far away from the glitz and glamour of modern Moscow lies the vast area of Siberia, once home to thousands of prisoners condemned to the gulags. Once upon a time the roads were maintained by the inmates of the Gulags; the prisoners were worked to death to keep the roads in good condition. But today, the roads are in a serious state of disrepair, and are still death traps, but for those who have to drive on them.

We follow three drivers as they make the treacherous journey from Neryungri to Yakutsk on the dreaded M56. In winter, they must dodge avalanches and struggle to maintain their lorries in temperatures as low as -65. In such conditions, stranded drivers freeze to death very quickly. When the ice melts, the road turns into a mud bath; the carcasses of unfortunate vehicles are strewn across the way. In summer, there is still no relief. The drivers must navigate through blinding clouds of dust. Of the road, it is no safer. Wild animals, poachers and highway men occupy the surrounding area.

Truck driver Nickolai joins his friend Ganya at the village of Topline, built under to Stalin to house the Evans, a nomadic tribe. Ganya is preparing for an off-road mission across the forests to reach the deer he and his family must care for over the winter. 24 hours in a small, poorly insulated jeep, with nothing to warm them except a small camp fire and a lot of vodka. Bears roam the forest; the men keep watch from the top of the jeep whilst the women and children crowd inside.

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