A group of prisoners, claiming allegiance to the Islamic State, carried out a brutal attack on guards at a Russian penal colony on Friday, seizing hostages and resulting in multiple casualties. The attack, which took place in a high-security prison located in the Volgograd region, was captured on video and shared online by news outlets with ties to Russian security services.
Footage released by Mash, one of the news channels, shows at least two attackers. One of them, wielding a knife, declares their affiliation with the Islamic State and proclaims control over the prison. The video also shows several prison officials lying in pools of blood, at least three of whom are motionless, with one bearing a visible throat wound. Another official is seen sitting in a doorway, held hostage at knifepoint.
Russian state media confirmed that at least one member of the prison staff was killed, but the video footage strongly suggests the death toll is considerably higher. The Russian prison service, in a statement, confirmed the hostage situation and stated that measures were being taken to free those held captive. They also acknowledged casualties.
The prison where the attack occurred is designated as a “harsh regime” facility, capable of housing up to 1,241 male prisoners. News sources connected to the security apparatus have published the names of up to four alleged attackers, identifying them as citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. However, these claims have not been officially confirmed.
This attack comes at a time when Russia, heavily engaged in its war in Ukraine, is facing a growing number of Islamist militant attacks. In June, a similar incident occurred in the Rostov region, where special forces neutralized six inmates who had taken hostages during a prison uprising linked to the Islamic State. Later that month, two separate shooting attacks in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia, claimed the lives of at least 20 individuals.
In March, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow. Gunmen stormed the venue, spraying the audience with automatic gunfire and setting the building ablaze, resulting in over 140 fatalities.
