The prisoners, armed with knives and claiming allegiance to ISIS, took hostages and temporarily seized control of part of the prison.
The incident began during what was meant to be a standard disciplinary commission meeting that took an unexpected turn. Four inmates, identified as Ramzidin Toshev (28), Rustamchon Navruzi (23), Nazirchon Toshov (28), and Temur Khusinov (29) hailing from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, wielded knives and injured several guards in the process. They took eight prison employees and four fellow convicts hostage.
Images circulated on social media during the siege, showing an inmate holding a knife over a bloodied prison guard. Another video depicted the attackers in the prison yard, one of their hostages sitting with his face covered in blood. The attackers released videos declaring their allegiance to ISIS and claiming the attack was revenge for the persecution of Muslims.
Russian special forces deployed at the prison located in Surovikino, around 850 kilometres south of Moscow, included heavily armed troops and elite snipers from the Rosgvardia National Guard.
After hours of negotiations and planning, special forces stormed the facility. During the operation, all four attackers were shot dead by snipers, ending the standoff. Four prison employees were killed in the incident; three died on the spot, and one succumbed to injuries in a hospital. Several guards and prisoners were also injured, some severely.
“Snipers of the special forces of the Russian National Guard in the Volgograd region, with four precise shots, neutralized four prisoners who had taken prison employees hostage. The hostages have been released,” said state news agency RIA, quoting the national guard.
Following the standoff in Volgograd, Russian President Vladimir Putin received a briefing during a virtual meeting with security leaders. It was confirmed that the situation did not pose an immediate threat to the civilian population.
Andrei Bocharov, the regional governor of Volgograd, stressed the importance of upholding the law and said, “Everyone within our region must show respect for and comply with Russian laws. We will not tolerate anyone attempting to fuel ethnic tensions.”
This event marks the second such incident in recent months. In June, a prison in the Rostov region experienced a similar hostage-taking incident when prisoners linked to ISIS tried to stage a rebellion. This event led to the deaths of five inmates and the capture of one.