The Bitch Wars, or Suka Wars ( or in singular: ), occurred in the Soviet Gulag labor-camp system between 1945 and 1953, around the time of Joseph Stalin's death. In this conflict rival sides were often identified by the system of tattoos common in Soviet prisons at the time. Background The Russian word suka (, literally "bitch") has a different negative connotation than its English equivalent. In Russian criminal argot, it specifically refers to a person from the criminal world who has "made oneself a bitch" () by cooperating in any way with law enforcement or with the government. Within the Soviet prison system, a social structure had existed since the Russian Tsarist era; one of its most important tenets decreed that members not serve or collaborate with the Tsarist (and later, Soviet) government. This rule encompassed all types of collaboration and not just "snitching" or "ratting out". Second World War As the Second World War progressed, Joseph Stalin offered many prisoners a pardon or sentence reduction at war's end in exchange for military service. After the war ended, many of those who had taken up the offer returned to prisons and labor camps, but were declared suki and placed at the lower end of the unofficial prisoner hierarchy. As a result, they sought to survive by collaborating with prison officials, in return getting some of the better jobs in the prison. This led to an internal prison war between the so-called suki and the Russian criminal underground, called "Thieves in Law". Many prisoners died in the Bitch War, but prison authorities turned a blind eye since prisoner deaths reduced the overall prison population. See also Gulag Prison gang Russian mafia Soviet Union in World War II References Further reading Александр Сидоров (2005) "Воры против сук. Подлинная история воровского братства, 1941-1991", External links Anton Antonov-Ovseenko, Enemy of the people, Moscow. Intellekt, 1996, "Bitch War" Section, text online at the Sakharov Center website 1940s in the Soviet Union 1950s in the Soviet Union Crime in the Soviet Union Soviet phraseology Russian Mafia events Organized crime conflicts Gulag