Russian authorities have confirmed that on Friday there was a major, violent uprising at a maximum security prison in the country's south. It appears unrelated to the ongoing Ukrainian invasion of Russia's southern border regions, and reportedly involved Islamist prisoners affiliated with ISIS.
Several officers at the penal colony in the town of Surovikino were killed, and several staff were taken hostage by the rebelling inmates, before it was put down by an elite Russian commando team. The location has been identified as IK-19 Surovikino facility in the southwestern Volgograd region.
The National Guard of Russia, also known as the Rosgvardia, announced in a Telegram statement: "Snipers from the special forces of the Russian National Guard in the Volgograd Region neutralized four prisoners who had taken prisoner employees hostage with four precise shots; the hostages were freed."
Videos from the scene which emerged on social media and showed the hostage-takers waiving ISIS flags. State media sources say that at least eight prison officers had been taken hostage during the ordeal. Other sources say a dozen total people were held hostage, which included some inmates who weren't among the attackers.
Russia's RT reports the following details:
According to the WarGonzo Telegram channel, one of the hostage-takers was wearing a purported suicide belt which failed to detonate.
The identities of the attackers have been confirmed, according to media reports citing court records. One of the four was a convicted murderer while the other three were serving time for drug trafficking charges. All were reportedly natives of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Another regional outlet reported the following:
Photos shared by the pro-Kremlin Telegram news outlet Mash showed prison inmates with knives standing above bloodied guards. In unverified videos shared on Telegram, the alleged attackers said they were affiliated with the Islamic State militant group and taking revenge for the Crocus City Hall terror attack in March.
The assailants stabbed the employees, including some who tried to resist. At least three were killed, and there were conflicting reports from officials over the fate of a fourth prison guard.
The uprising involved crude weapons, and the deceased guards reportedly died due to stab wounds. Two of the attackers later succumbed of their wounds at a hospital after being shot by sniper teams.
CNN comments on some of the disturbing images as follows: "Graphic footage circulating on social media showed three uniformed prison staff members lying motionless in pools of blood, one with his throat slashed. A fourth staff member is seen on his knees in a doorway."
