Inmates use British red phone boxes in Russian jail

Rich Russians indulge in fancy English-style homes with lawns, frequent pubs, go shopping in London – but now those behind bars are getting in on the act.

The Russian prison service Gufsin has posted photos of red British phone boxes and a mural of Big Ben – all the creations of Siberian prisoners.

The phone boxes are real – so that inmates can stay in touch with friends and relatives, Gufsin said.

Russian-UK relations are distinctly chilly, but London's allure goes far.

The inmates of penal colony No 8 in Novosibirsk region even upgraded the old-fashioned British phone boxes by installing phones with video links. 

This Russian fantasy London appears blissfully remote from the shabby phone boxes seen in much of Britain today – boxes left obsolete by smart phones.

The Westminster mural is there "to convey to the maximum the atmosphere of London", Gufsin said online.