Caught on camera: Deadly standoff in Russia's Volgograd prison ends with 4 ISIS attackers killed (WATCH)
In a dramatic standoff at the IK-19 Surovikino penal colony in Russia's Volgograd region, four inmates armed with knives and claiming allegiance to ISIS were killed by Russian special forces after taking hostages and seizing control of part of the prison.
In a dramatic standoff at the IK-19 Surovikino penal colony in Russia's Volgograd region, four inmates armed with knives and claiming allegiance to ISIS were killed by Russian special forces after taking hostages and seizing control of part of the prison. The incident, which occurred on Friday, resulted in the deaths of four prison employees, while the hostages were successfully rescued.
The situation escalated during what was supposed to be a routine disciplinary commission meeting. The inmates, identified as Ramzidin Toshev (28), Rustamchon Navruzi (23), Nazirchon Toshov (28), and Temur Khusinov (29), all hailing from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, launched a violent attack, injuring several guards and taking eight prison employees and four fellow convicts hostage.
Images and videos circulated on social media during the siege, showing harrowing scenes including an inmate threatening a bloodied prison guard with a knife. The attackers released statements online, declaring their allegiance to ISIS and claiming their actions were in revenge for the persecution of Muslims.
In response to the crisis, Russian special forces, including elite snipers from the Rosgvardia National Guard, were deployed to the facility, located about 850 km south of Moscow. After hours of negotiations failed, the special forces launched a tactical operation, during which all four attackers were shot dead. However, the operation came at a high cost, with four prison employees losing their lives—three during the attack and one later in the hospital due to injuries. Several others, both guards and prisoners, were injured, some severely.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the situation during a virtual meeting with security leaders, where it was confirmed that there was no immediate threat to the civilian population. Volgograd's regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, emphasized the importance of upholding the law and warned against attempts to incite ethnic tensions in the region.
This incident is the second of its kind in recent months, following a similar hostage situation in June at a prison in the Rostov region, where ISIS-linked prisoners attempted a rebellion, resulting in the deaths of five inmates.