A KINDER, GENTLER BAMLAG.

The relief line for the Trans-Siberian Railway runs north of Lake Baikal, further out of range of Chinese artillery.  The railroad took a long time from conception to completion, and now heavy maintenance is necessary.  Apparently, there's a shortage of construction labor in Siberia.  "Amid labor shortages Russian government officials have discussed plans to use prison labor for major construction projects but they insist there are no plans to revive the Stalin-era Gulag practice."

Tsar Vladimir's ministers are also "considering whether to mobilise convicts to clean up pollution in the Arctic."