A group of prisoners on Friday seized hostages in Russia’s southern Volgograd region leading to the death of at least one staff member, according to a statement from the country’s prison service.
The incident occurred during a disciplinary commission session, where inmates took several prison staff hostage. “Measures are currently being taken to free the hostages. There are casualties,” the prison service confirmed.
A graphic video, widely circulated on Russian Telegram channels, shows at least three prisoners armed with knives standing over what appear to be wounded or deceased guards in a pool of blood.
One of the hostage-takers in the video claims the group is affiliated with the Islamic State.
According to the Telegram channel Shot, which has close ties to Russian security services, the hostage-takers have demanded a helicopter and $2 million (£1.7 million).
Russian media outlets reported that security services were preparing to storm the facility.
This incident is the latest in a series of Islamist terror attacks that have plagued Russia recently, raising concerns that the country’s extensive security apparatus might be stretched thin due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the internal crackdown on anti-war dissent.
Earlier in 2024, in March, the Afghan branch of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at a Moscow concert hall. The attack, the deadliest in recent years, resulted in 139 deaths.
In June, gunmen launched attacks in two cities in the north Caucasus region of Dagestan, targeting a synagogue, two Orthodox churches, and a police post, leaving 15 police officers and a priest dead.
This latest hostage situation is expected to heighten concerns over security measures within Russian prisons.
It follows a similar incident this summer, where Russian special forces successfully freed two guards and killed six IS-linked men who had taken them hostage at a detention center in Rostov-on-Don.
