New Delhi:

Four jail staffers were killed after a group of prisoners staged a violent revolt at the high-security IK-19 Surovikino penal colony in Russia’s Volgograd region on Friday. The prisoners, armed with knives and claiming allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), took hostages and temporarily seized control of a section of the prison, leading to a dramatic and deadly standoff with Russian special forces. 

The crisis began during what was supposed to be a routine disciplinary commission meeting, a report said. As the meeting was in progress, a group of inmates, later identified as Ramzidin Toshev (28) Rustamchon Navruzi (23), Nazirchon Toshov (28) and Temur Khusinov (29), launched their attack. All four men, hailing from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, slashed guards with knives, injuring several and taking eight prison employees and four fellow convicts hostage.

During the siege, an image circulated on social media, showing an inmate holding a knife over a bloodied prison guard. Another video showed the attackers in the prison yard where one of their hostages was in a sitting position with his face covered in blood. In videos released by the attackers, they declared their allegiance to ISIS and claimed the attack was an act of revenge for the persecution of Muslims.

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As the situation escalated, Russian special forces, including heavily armed troops and elite snipers from the Rosgvardia National Guard, were deployed to the scene. The prison, located in the remote town of Surovikino, approximately 850 kilometres south of Moscow, became a battleground.

After hours of tense negotiations and strategic planning, the special forces stormed the facility. In the ensuing operation, all four attackers were shot dead by snipers, effectively ending the standoff. However, four prison employees lost their lives, with three killed on the spot and a fourth succumbing to injuries in the hospital. Additionally, several other guards and prisoners sustained injuries, some of which were severe.

“Snipers of the special forces of the Russian National Guard in the Volgograd region, with four precise shots, neutralised four prisoners who had taken prison employees hostage. The hostages have been released,” said state news agency RIA, quoting the national guard.

This marks the second such incident in recent months, following a similar hostage-taking event in June at a prison in the Rostov region, where ISIS-affiliated prisoners also attempted a revolt, resulting in the deaths of five prisoners and the capture of one.

In response to the Volgograd standoff, Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed during a virtual meeting with security chiefs, where it was confirmed that the situation posed no immediate threat to the civilian population. “Everyone on our territory is obliged to respect and comply with the laws of Russia. We will not allow anyone to try to incite ethnic discord,” said Volgograd’s regional governor, Andrei Bocharov.