VOLGOGRAD PRISON REVOLT ENDS IN BLOODSHED AS RUSSIAN FORCES INTERVENE

Fri 23 August 2024:

Russian special forces stormed a high-security prison in the southwestern Volgograd region, neutralizing four inmates after a dramatic hostage situation unfolded. The prisoners, who identified as Islamic State (IS) militants, had seized control of the IK-19 Surovikino facility, taking several guards hostage.

Videos published on Russian social media appeared to show about four prison guards taken hostage, some lying in pools of blood.

A video posted by the news channel Mash showed at least two attackers. One of them shouted that they were “mujahideen” of the ISIL (ISIS) group and had seized control of the prison. The video suggested the death toll was higher.

The videos could not be independently verified.

🚨 4 ISIS terrorists seize jail in Russia

– Several jail staff killed & many held hostage

😮 https://t.co/tDCY1g7aO3

— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) August 23, 2024

Prisoners Take Hostages, Claim Control Over Facility

The crisis began when knife-wielding inmates took staff members hostage during a disciplinary commission meeting. An unverified image circulating on social media showed a bloodied prison guard under the control of an armed inmate. Russian media reported that a prison service employee was killed in the initial attack.

In a swift response, heavily armed troops from Russia’s National Guard, known as Rosgvardia, were deployed to the scene. Snipers shot four prisoners, effectively ending the revolt. Local reports confirmed that all hostages had been rescued, though the exact number of those seized remains unclear.

baza In this frame from an unverified video posted on social media, a man is shown holding a knife, apparently in a courtyard within the IK-19 Surovikino facility

In an unverified video posted on social media, a man was shown holding a knife, apparently in a courtyard within the IK-19 Surovikino facility. Baza

Dramatic Footage Emerges as Authorities Reclaim Control

Footage shared on Telegram showed armed troops arriving at the prison, while unverified videos appeared to depict one of the attackers pledging allegiance to IS and another brandishing a knife in the prison courtyard. The incident marks the second IS-related hostage situation in a Russian prison this summer.

Rosgvardia Russian National Guard troops at the prison

National Guard troops were dispatched to the prison to end the attack. Rosgvardia

Government Response: Putin Briefed on Situation, No Civilian Threat

Volgograd regional governor Andrei Bocharov assured the public that the hostage-taking posed no threat to civilians. President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the situation during a virtual meeting with security chiefs.

🚨🇷🇺Putin addresses the nation over the ISIS hostage situation in Volgograd prison colony No. 19. pic.twitter.com/mvRd1qxkNw

— Aussie Cossack (@aussiecossack) August 23, 2024

Authorities have opened a case related to the hostage-taking, with the incident drawing comparisons to a similar revolt in the Rostov region earlier this year.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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