Russia's Lefortovo prison has housed a long list of high-profile figures, but is under the spotlight since US journalist Evan Gershkovich's arrest and detention there. The facility was engineered by the Federal Security Service to keep detainees in near-total solitude. The Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich is set to appear in court on April 18, a rare break from his isolation in Lefortovo prison -- a symbol of repression since Soviet times. "It's a frozen prison, they're isolating you as much as possible from the outside world and from other prisoners," says Igor Rudnikov, a former detainee and journalist. AFP spoke to Igor Rudnikov, lawyers, activists and prisoners' families to get a glimpse of life inside the prison. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES