Photo credit: pvz.lt / Wikimedia Commons
In the former Soviet Union, it was common for prisoners to get tattoos of Stalin and Lenin. Occasionally, it was to show their patriotism to the state. Other times, they believed the ink artwork would literally save their lives; the rumor was that it was forbidden for anyone in authority to shoot at images of the country’s leaders, so by tattooing those images on their bodies, they were protected from the Communist firing squad.
