The Vorkuta Gulag - Hellhole of the USSR 

😱Remember guys we need to: Step 1: Secure the keys Step 2: Ascend from darkness Step 3: Rain fire Step 4: Unleash the horde Step 5: Skewer the winged beast Step 6: Wield a fist of iron Step 7: Raise hell Step 8: Freedom Da.

“Step 8 Reznov, freedom!” “For you Mason, not for me.” “Reznov!”

My grandpa was 24 when he was taken to one of these gulags. He had to stay there for more than 3 years. He never talked about what happened there. Always when we asked him about it he started to lose tears and said "I can't talk about it". Horrible thing must have happened over there.

You can see in some scenes that Reznov and Sergei are in the background.

“Dragovich, kravchenko, Steiner these..men all must die”

_”Dragovich...Kravchenko...Steiner. ALL must die.”_

RIP Reznov. I remember actually believing Reznov made it out when Mason was having those dreams. I was very sad when I found out he didn’t make it. Honestly if Sergei wasn’t there the plan would’ve probably failed. RIP Sergei. Also how did Woods survive the explosion when he drove himself and Kravchenko out the window, I mean I know he’s a goddamn onion but still.

Reznov: "You will break... American." Hudson: "Victor Reznov." Mason: "My friend."

I heard an American prisoner escaped on a bike with a lever action shotgun

"We are all soldiers, without an army, Betrayed, Forgotten, Abandoned." - Reznov

_"In Vorkuta, we are all soldiers without an army."_ _"Betrayed."_ _"Forgotten."_ _"ABANDONED."_ _"In Vorkuta, we are ALL brothers."_

Russian Prisoner: Reznov, you sure you can trust this American? Reznov: With my life...He and us are not so different. We are all soldiers without an army...Betrayed...Forgotten...Abandoned. In Vorkuta, we are ALL brothers...

Mason: "Your turn!!! Come on!!! Step eight, Reznov - Freedom! " Reznov: "For you Mason... Not for me... " Mason: "REZNOV!!!" Man that scene gave me the feels...

It’s amazing that in CoD Cold War when Mason revisited the broken down satellites from “Black Ops”, Mason STILL receives faint numbers in his head. This goes to show that the game 10 years ago is still a memory to this day.

"In Vorkuta, we are all brothers."

People in the comments USSR historians: SLEEP Black Ops players: *REZNOV!*

1% of comments: stalin jokes 1% of comments: gulag jokes 98% of comments: *Reznov Mason something*

My grandfather was a inmate in Vorkuta, he got out some years after the death of Stalin and was sent back to the GDR.

If anyone wants a true glimpse into the life in the gulags, read "Man is Wolf to Man". For a glimpse into life as a survivor, read the sequel titled "Surviving Freedom". The first book accounts for what many gulag prisoners endured, which was starting in the lower security camps and hopping camps eastward, all the way to Kolyma. The system was set so that labor could be exploited at every stage of denigration of the human body for those that were sentenced. All to the point of self-expiration by being overworked if they weren't already purged by the NKVD or fellow prisoners along the way. One particular issue the author (Janusz Bardach) discusses is witnessing how prisoners getting diarrhea from poor nutrition often died from the cold. This is because the prisoners were stacked upon one another in shacks. If you had soiled your clothes and another prisoner had your butt in their face, they would throw you out into the cold to freeze to death, simply because the smell prevented them from getting any sleep. Many prisoners upon being reaching close to death due to being overworked, would reach a point of no longer caring about dignity. Retaining your dignity at all costs (not ripping one in your pants during morning lineup) kept you alive. The author made it a point to never resort to eating rats because he felt it would cause a loss of his dignity and humanity. Because he observed that once prisoners resorted to eating rats they would all end up dying relatively soon. Even though they had attained additional sustenance. Survival as always, is just as much about the mind if not more so than the body. Janusz also describes a scene where after attempting escape, he was rounded up and beaten by a guard and an officer. Once the officer left the room, the guard immediately became compassionate and stopped beating Janusz and even offering water. The guard had to snap back into "beating mode" once the officer returned, resuming the flurry of blows and non-stop insults. The point being that compassion would rise to the surface even in the hearts of the guards, but was suppressed simply due to fear of repercussions. If a guard was seen as lenient at any time, it could cost them their job or their lives, by them being interned into a gulag themselves. As in today's prisons, the guards would work hand-in-hand with ringleaders of the gulag. Often times these would be the Urka, or Russian prison gangs at the time. The gangs would keep the other prisoners in order, ensure productivity (or mutually assured meeting of quotas by fudging numbers, as those running the camp could be punished alongside prisoners for not meeting these). They also purchased commodities from the guards through pooling methods. One such method was collecting alcohol being given every morning to prisoners during winter months before work. The Urka ordered the prisoners to not swallow the alcohol, and instead to spit it out into a large container after exiting the alcohol line. The alcohol would be collected, and sold to the guards for food or other favors. If you were new and uninformed of this process and swallowed your alcohol, you would get a single warning via a beating and explanation. The Urka were just as important for internal enforcement as the NKVD guards. Another glimpse into this story is about how medical staff at the gulags enjoyed many perks, even sometimes a relatively normal life. This is because medical personnel were always required not just for the prisoners but for the guards. Even simply becoming a janitor for an associated hospital was enough to spare you the rigors of the physical labor in the camps. Also, those who injured themselves to get to the infirmary were usually sniffed out and executed as it was against the rules to do so. Many people cut off digits or even entire limbs, burned themselves or spilled acid upon themselves just to get a few days in the hospital. Prisoners would often help inflict wounds upon each other so as to make it look like an accident (as self-inflicted wounds show certain characteristics of being so).

“So that was the last time you saw Victor Reznov?” “Yea” “At least for awhile.”

Russian prisoner: "Reznov, you sure you can trust this American?" Reznov: "With my life. He and us, are not so different... We are all soldiers, without an army. Betrayed. Forgotten. Abandoned. In Vorkuta, we are ALL brothers..." God tier moment

I can hear the Tankies now... "That wasn't real communism!"

“In Vorkuta, we are all brothers” -Reznov

"You will break, American!" "Viktor Reznov." "My friend....."

"Your turn!!!" "Come on!!!" "Step eight, Reznov - freedom!" "For you Mason..." "Not for me..."

"Can't get the Fucking Numbers out of my head!" - Alex Mason

I love how in the graphic with the 3 prisoners revolting the one in the middle looks like Reznov from Call of Duty Black Ops! You guys are tru legends for including him!

"Allow me to introduce, Sergei Kozin the monster from Magadan" "Glad you're a friend, Sergei" "We will never pause, we will never falter, we will be free or die trying"

Bae: Come over Stalin: Can’t, I’m busy sending people to gulag Bae: My parents aren’t home Stalin: I know

"STEP 8 REZNOV! FREEDOM!" "FOR YOU MASON, NOT FOR ME"

Crazy this popped up! John Nobles son, also John is a great friend of mine, and one of the nicest people I've ever met. He speaks highly of his father and lent me a book wrote by his father. John wrote a book called "i was a slave in russia" that detailed his experience. It certainly brought tears to the eyes several times.

Love how you can see Sergi and Resnov in the animation LMAO.

the comment section is 10% talking about how horrible the soviet union was 90% COD references

“In Vorkuta, we are all brothers.”

2:21 There's Sergei pushing the Coal Cart and there's Reznov mining next to him.

"For you Mason! Not for me!" - Reznov

R.i.p Sergei ???-October 6, 1963 He was strong but the door was stronger

Soviet guard: Welcome to the Vorkuta Gul- Stalin: Don't say it. Guard: I mean camp!

The Vorkuta Gulag is a really scary place to be

“MY NAME IS VIKTOR REZNOV. AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE.”

“step off reznov! Freedom!” “For you mason, not for me!”

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE VIDEO BECAUSE OF THE REFERENCES

I love your channel keep up the great stuff

"Dragovich... Kravchenko... Steiner... These "men" must die." - Viktor Reznov

Putting hellhole and USSR in the same sentence is essentially just repeating the same thing twice

Seeing all my fellow Bo1 brothers and sisters assemble again to remember a great time in gaming history brings me joy.

"Come on, step 8 Reznov, freedom!" "For you Mason, not for me" "REZNOV!"

“Freedom Reznov!” “For you mason, not for me.” 😔😔😔

"Mason! You did it Mason! You did what I could not!"- Reznov's last words

"welcome to the gulag, if you survived you earned your freedom"

Simple History: You couldn't escape Mason: Are you sure about that?

Simple History: How many COD references do you want?? World: *YES*

As long as he lives the heart of this army cannot be broken, he makes us all proud." -Victor reznov 1939

“I love Soviet Union.” Says the person who wasn’t been to a gulag

"Mason. Every journey begins with a single step. This - is step one!!"

Can we just point out that theres characters that look like Reznov and Sergei (Edit: why are so many people liking this)

Thinking about gulags makes me so sad that I start bawling my eyes out, that's because my great-grandfather once told me that once of his friends got sent to one of them and he got hanged. #sosad. 😭💔

"demetri petrenko was was one of the bravest men I ever knew. He fought by my side from the siege of stalingrad to the fall of Berlin. The wounds he sustained ensuring our victory should have earned him a heros welcome to Russia..... but stalin had little need for heros."

"VICTORY CANNOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT SACRAFICE, MASON." *"WE RUSSIANS KNOW THIS BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE."*

“Allow me to introduce Sergei Kozin, the monster of Magadan.” - Viktor Reznov

I'm so happy you made this because legit no one at my HIGH SCHOOL knows what the actual gulag is just that it's where u go when u die in cod

“He and us are not so different. We are all soldiers without an army, betrayed, forgotten, abandoned. We are all brothers in Vortuka…” -Victor Reznov

We all know about Reznov's sacrifice,but what about Sergei's sacrifice.

“The flag may be different, but the methods are all the same” -Reznov

“Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice” “we will be free or die trying”

I get it, communism makes everyone equally miserable.

"We Russians know this better than anyone!"-Reznov

*RUSSIAN CITIZEN:* "I think..." *JOSEF STALIN:* "Looks like you're going to The Gulags, Jimbo!"

"Sure you can have freedom of speech... in Siberia!" - Joseph Stalin, probably.

I love that mason Sergei (I think that’s how you spell it) and Reznov are in the video

"STEP 8 REZONOV, FREEEDOM!!!" "FOR YOU MASON, NOT FOR ME" "REZNOV!!!!!!"

“I will die in the this wretched place. The only thing that keeps me alive is the thirst for vengeance.” - Viktor Reznov

My Grandparents met in Vorkuta gulag, they've survived and were transported in cattle trains to Poland, but only after Stalin died and there was little of "relaxation" in Soviet Russia.

I like the animated Victor Reznov at 5:47 Good touch and good reference lol

All the Easter Eggs in this one

A Documentary about my home? unbelievable

gotta love the reznov and sergei reference at 2:26

Anyone notice Victor Reznov at 3:59 in the background?

It feels like everyone in this comment section loves me.

"Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice Mason. We Russians know this better than anyone" - Viktor Reznov

Thanks for adding Reznov and Sergei.

Love the little note to Reznov and Sergei seriously made the video for me😂😂

I like the little COD: Black Ops references with Viktor Reznov and Sergei in the animation, and the pinned comment of the escape steps, lmao

Sergei's death in this mission of CoD was probably the saddest one that we actually see

“I remeber you, Vorkuta, you dont know what we did to you”

5:10 "Allow me to introduce: Sergei Kozin, The Monster of Megadan!"

Viktor Reznov: "Brave comrades of Vorkuta, the time has come to rise against our oppressors! Today we show the hearts of true Russians! We have all given our blood for the motherland. We have answered her calls without question. We gave our youth, our hearts, our very souls for her protection ... as brothers, we fought side by side against the German fascists. We crawled trough dirt and blood and sand to achieve our glorious victory ... Not for medals, or glory, but for what was right. We fought for revenge ... And when Berlin fell, how did our leaders repay us? We returned not to rapturous welcome ... but to suspicion and persecution. In the eyes of our leaders we were already tainted by the capitalist West. Torn from the arms of our loved ones, we found ourselves here... this place... this, this terrible place. Here we have languished, with no hope for release... No hope for justice. We have toiled in Dragovich's mines until the flesh peeled from our bones... We have watched our comrades succumb to sickness and disease... We have been starved. We have been beaten. But we will not be broken! Today, we will send a message to our corrupt and arrogant leaders. Today, my comrades... Vorkuta... BURNS!!! "

"We are all soldiers without an army" - Victor Reznov

I love the little background details of the bo1 mission so much😂

I love how you guys drew rezneov in the background

“ Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice Mason. We Russians know this better than anyone” Sgt Viktor Reznov

I love the Call of Duty: Black Ops references in this! Simple History never fails to appeal to it’s fans! A truly elite history RU-vid channel!

1:46 I see the Reznov looking guy in the background, dry clever lol 😂

good for adding the bo1 refrences in there

"My name is Viktor Reznov, and I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" "MASON NO!!"

Simple History: You couldn’t escape Black Ops fans: *ACKCHYUALLY*

He and us are not so different... We are all soldiers, without an army. Betrayed. Forgotten. Abandoned. In Vorkuta, we are ALL brothers

I loved these Easter eggs so much from black ops 1 😍. Prisoner: "Reznov, are you sure we can trust this American?" Reznov: With my life. He is not so different. We are all soldiers without an army. Betrayed, forgotten, abandoned. We Russians know this better then anyone..."

Here you can spot a lot of COD Black ops 1 references 1. The Mine where Mason and Reznov distracted one of the guards to steal the Mine key - 5:13 5:44 6:08 2. The Shotgun armoury that was filled with KS23 shotguns - 5:38 and 5:57 3. Sergei can be found pushing minecarts and fighting one of the guards - 1:40 2:22 4:48 5:21 6:08 and 6:22 in here you can see him pushing a minecart along with Reznov 4. Reznov, This iconic black ops character can be found in - 5:43 5:56 6:08 and 6:22 in here you can see him pushing a minecart along with Sergei 5. The Bucket-wheel excavator, where you can find this in COD Black ops while supporting the uprising from the south - 0:59 2:13 2:46 3:18 5:32 7:10

Reznov: “Every journey begins with a single step. This…IS STEP ONE!” Crowd: “SECURE THE KEYS!!!” Reznov: “Now, WE TAKE VORKUTA!”