The Bitch Wars or Suka Wars (Russian: Сучьи войны Suchyi voyny or in singular: Сучья война Suchya voyna) occurred within the Soviet labor camp system between 1945 and around the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. This, along with the suki involvement in the Soviet military, started an internal prison war between the military veterans and the leaders of the Russian criminal underground, or "Thieves in Law." Many prisoners were killed in the Bitch Wars. Prison authorities turned a blind eye, since prisoner deaths reduced the overall prison population.