Faces In The Book

The two Soviet prisoners held by the mujahideen in Pakistan are Nicolai and Jamalbik, both from Soviet Central Asia. They are arrogant and show no sign of fear. Nicolai looks like a street punk who would feel at home stealing hubcaps and dealing dope in downtown Detroit. He has a tattoo of Red Square’s St. Basil’s Cathedral on his chest. Nicolai belches in my face after I take his photo.

Both Nicolai and Jamalbik express great interest in learning American swear words, especially “Fuck your mother” – a popular vulgarity in the Soviet Union. The vocabulary, they feel, will come in handy if they emigrate to the West.