Russian criminal tattoos

Okay kiddo, imagine if you drew pictures on your skin with a marker or pen. That's what Russian criminal tattoos are. But they are not just any pictures, they tell a story about a person's past and their experiences in jail or with the criminal world.

The pictures can be of things like a spider, which means the person is cunning and can sneak around without being noticed. A skull means they have killed someone before or are willing to. And a tear drop can mean the person has killed someone or lost someone they loved. These tattoos are like a secret code that only people who know about them can understand.

But it's not just about the pictures, kiddo. The placement of the tattoos on the body is important too. For example, a star on the knees means the person will never kneel or bow down to authority. A cross on the chest means the person is loyal to their criminal group or "family".

These tattoos are not something that people usually get willingly. It's more like a way for people in jail to show their toughness and to protect themselves from other inmates. And once you have these tattoos, it's very hard to go back to a normal life because they can make people scared or intimidated.

So, in summary, Russian criminal tattoos are pictures on the skin that tell a story about a person's criminal past and experiences, and they are like a secret code or language that only certain people can understand.