While I think this article is written in a disingenuous manner/style the claims being made are very plausible. We're talking about a prison population essentially. Last I checked prisonremoved, hazing, suicide (etc) are still common trappings of current prison life the world-over, and verifiably in the West where prisonremoved is a common reactionary joke to this very day.

The only thing specifically being stated about the USSR is the date that homosexuality was re-criminalized; but as other users have made clear, the fact that it was temporarily decriminalized was a historic anomaly. Sure, I'd love for the USSR to have not re-criminalized it, as I'd love for the USSR to still be standing. But, when you interpret this article with proper context and awareness, it is clear that the intention of any article citing the abysmal conditions of prison populations which isolates the USSR is nothing more than a simple, demonizing hit piece.