> prison system (whose acronym was GULAG)

Afaik not true. The average westerner may think so, but GULAG is an acronym for a specific part of the system.

::: spoiler copypasted my earlier comment
if you would consult *the chart* from [chapter 10](https://comlib.encryptionin.space/lib/html/russian-justice/russian-justice_files/chapter10.xhtml)


The [etymology of GULAG](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/GULAG) is: "the acronym of Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й (Glávnoje upravlénije ispravítelʹno-trudovýx lageréj, “Chief Administration of **Corrective-Labor Camps**”)" emphasis mine, as it corresponds directly to the above, specifically *the camps* under the O.G.P.U. These are where those with harsher sentences were sent, as seen in the chart (3-10 years)
:::