A hostage situation has broken out at a penal colony in Russia’s Volgograd region.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia (FPS) said in a statement that several employees of the correctional institution were taken hostage by convicts during a meeting of the disciplinary commission. Measures are currently being taken to free the hostages, the service said.
According to Russian news agency TASS, at least one prison employee has been killed – a report that appears to have been corroborated by the Federal Penitentiary Service, which stated there were “victims.”
The incident is taking place at the IK-19 facility, described as a “strict regime penal colony.”
A general view is seen of St Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square. A hostage situation is underway at a Russian penal colony.
Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
“According to preliminary data, the employees [of the Federal Penitentiary Service] were attacked by at least three prisoners serving sentences in this colony,” one FPS employee told TASS.
The FPS has dispatched a group of employees from its central office to conduct and inspection of the situation.
Reuters reported that as-yet unverified footage shared on Russian social media channels purportedly shows at least four uniformed prison officers sitting or lying in pools of blood. One of the attackers has reportedly identified themselves as an Islamic State fighter.
The penal colony is situated in the town of Surovikino, approximately 540 miles southeast of Moscow, and has an inmate capacity of around 1,200.
This is a developing news story and will be updated.
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Update, 08/23/2024, 07:36 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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