Grigory Pasko: Tattooing Russian Leaders

A partak means a lot “on the zone”

Grigory Pasko, journalist

Partak – that’s a tattoo in the language of jailbirds. The history of tattooing goes with the roots into the ages. They say that the fist to start doing it were the aborigines of the island of Tatu. Cook’s sailors saw and borrowed. Then tattooing, like a contagious disease, spread throughout the entire world and became particularly beloved by prisoners.

In the years of the Stalinshchina and the GULAG, zeks tattooed portraits of Stalin and Lenin: there existed a myth that the convoyers [transport guards–Trans.] are not going to start shooting at the leaders of the USSR and the revolution. The myth has remained just that, a myth.

But the habits of tattooing the profiles of leaders have come downto our days. The main personage of tattoos has become V.V.Putin, namedby Kremlinologists as «our everything» (after Pushkin), «leader of thenation» (after Stalin), «last hope of Russia» (after oil, one mustassume) and other such drivel.

Who are these people, who take – so closely, literally to the heart- Putin seriously and for long (to erase a tattoo even in the age ofmodern technologies is not all that simple)?

Here’s one of them – a student from Nizhny Novgorod, Alexey Barinov.A source reportsthat:

Alexey had a tremulous attitude towards Putin. Therefore, nobody wassurprised when the lad announced that he intends to make a big tattoowith a portrait of his idol. The process of applying the tattoo tookseveral hours, moreover Lyosha refused anaesthesia, declaring that “forPutin I’m ready to endure even more than this”. It was painful, but thestudent did not moan, tried to smile and thought about what a manly manPutin is. Also the student considers that the activity of Putin isstill going to be worthily assessed by descendants. (It is noteworthythat those who keep a close watch on the activity of the tribunal inThe Hague also consider thus).

Yet another venerator of Putin – a 23-year-old bus driver fromSamara, Pavel Korban.

He’s tattooed a portrait of his idol on the chest. The lad is alsoconvinced that Putin will remain in the history of Russia. Like Leninand Stalin.

In the net I found a tattoo – a portrait of Stalin – on a woman’sheaving chest. I’venot yet seen Putin on feminine charms yet, but I have no doubt – hewill soon appear.