Isolation and Secrecy: What We Know About Russia’s Notorious Penal Colonies

Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was convicted of espionage in Russia on Friday and sentence to 16 years in prison.

His lawyers can file an appeal, but if they don’t or are unsuccessful, Mr. Gershkovich will have to serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony, where conditions will be harsh.

Mr. Gershkovich could still be pardoned by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, possibly in conjunction with a potential prisoner swap with the United States.

Russia has accused Mr. Gershkovich of spying, charges that he, his employer and the American government have denied. All three have described the charges as politically motivated.

What happens next?

When his 16-year sentence begins, Mr. Gershkovich will be transferred into Russia’s sprawling system of penal colonies, likely traveling in a special prison railway car to the penal colony, which has not yet been named.

Such trips can be arduous, with prisoners isolated from the outside world and their relatives unaware of their whereabouts before they reach their final destination.