The hostage-taking in the colony in the Volgograd region occurred during a meeting of the disciplinary commission.
"During a meeting of the disciplinary commission in the penal colony 19 in the Volgograd Region, several prisoners took hostages. There are injured," the authority said.
At the moment, measures are being taken to free the hostages, the Federal Penitentiary Service informed.
“In connection with the emergency incident in the IK-19 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Volgograd region, a group of employees of the central office of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia immediately left for the region to conduct an inspection,” the service reported.
A criminal case has been opened in the Volgograd region over the hostage-taking situation, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation told Sputnik.
“Today, several prisoners in the correctional colony № 19 of the Volgograd region in the city of Surovikino, took hostage the staff of the mentioned institution. This fact initiated a criminal case under part 4 of article 206 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, part 3 of article 321 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," the committee said.
Right now, authorities are carrying out an investigation to establish all the circumstances of the incident.
About 1,000 prisoners are currently in the penal colony 19, where the hostage-taking took place, Vadim Cherednik, chairman of the regional public monitoring commission, told Sputnik.
“The colony contains about 1,000 prisoners. The colony is designed for more places,” he said.
He added that he does not see the correlation between the hostage-taking situation and the conditions in the colony as a whole.
Four injured employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service after the hostage-taking in a Volgograd colony have been hospitalized, Volgograd Region Governor Andrei Bocharov reported.
According to the governor, air ambulances and supporting hospitals in Volgograd have been put on standby, medical specialists have been sent to Surovikino Central Regional Hospital.
“There are enough forces and means to help the victims,” Bocharov emphasized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council that Director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Arkady Gostev had reported to him on the situation in the Volgograd Region.
Russian National Guard in Volgograd Region Neutralizes 4 Prisoners Who Took Colony Hostage
Snipers of the Russian National Guard in the Volgograd Region neutralized four prisoners who took colony employees hostage, the hostages were released, the security forces told Sputnik on Friday.
"Snipers of the special forces of the Russian National Guard in the Volgograd Region neutralized four prisoners who took the colony employees hostage with four accurate shots, the hostages have been released," the National Guard said.