A group of prisoners identifying themselves as Islamic State militants seized hostages in a maximum security jail in Russia’s southern Volgograd region and killed at least one member of staff, the country’s prison service said.
“During a session of a disciplinary commission, convicts took staff of the penal institution as hostages,” the prison service said in a statement. “Measures are currently being taken to free the hostages. There are casualties.”
A graphic video circulating on several Russian Telegram channels shows at least three hostage-takers wielding knives and standing over what appears to be injured or dead prison guards lying in a pool of blood.
One of the hostage-takers says in the clip that the group are “mujahideen” of Islamic State (IS).
In another video, one of the hostage-takers says their actions are retaliation for the “mistreatment” of Muslims in Russia.
News sites with security connections published the names of four alleged attackers, identifying them as citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. There was no official confirmation of their identity and motives.
Russian media reported that the country’s security services were preparing to storm the building.
Russia has experienced a series of Islamist terror attacks recently, prompting questions about whether its extensive security agencies have been distracted by the invasion of Ukraine and the internal crackdown on anti-war dissent.
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 deadliest terror attack in years, which killed 139 people.
And in June, gunmen opened fire in two cities in Russia’s north Caucasus region of Dagestan, targeting a synagogue, two Orthodox churches and a police post, killing at least 15 police officers and a priest.
The latest hostage-taking incident is likely also to raise questions about security measures within Russian prisons. It follows a similar incident this summer, in which Russian special forces freed two guards and killed six men linked to IS who had taken them hostage at a detention centre in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
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