Freedom, a helicopter and a bomb: What is known about the hostage-taking and massacre in a prison colony in the Volgograd region
Prisoners who practice radical Islam have seized the staff of Colony No. 19 in the Volgograd Region. One has been killed and five, including the head of the colony, have been wounded. The terrorists are trying to break free, and special forces are freeing the hostages.
What happened in the IK-19 colony
Another attack on FSIN employees took place on Friday in Correctional Colony No. 19 in the Volgograd Region on the outskirts of the city of Surovikino. According to the SHOT Telegram channel, several prisoners took five FSIN employees hostage. The attackers call themselves members of ISIS*. Among the hostages were the colony’s leadership: the head of IK-19 Andrey Devyatov and his deputy.
The Investigative Committee has already opened a criminal case on the fact of the attack under Part 4 of Article 206 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (taking of hostages with the intentional causing of death to a person) and Part 3 of Article 321 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (disorganization of the activities of institutions providing isolation from society,committed by a group of persons by prior agreement).
It is known that the attack took place during a meeting of the disciplinary commission at about 12:00, and there were four attackers. The terrorists took advantage of the fact that they were all together in one place – next to several FSIN employees.
Prisoners demand helicopter and promise to detonate bomb
At the moment, it is known that at least one employee was killed, four more were seriously injured. Presumably, the duty officer of IK-19 died, he tried to resist the invaders. It is known that among the victims is the deputy head of the colony for security and operational work (BOR).
Judging by the footage that appeared online, the criminals used sharpeners or scissors. However, a SHOT source reported that they were holding butterfly knives. Investigators are currently considering the version that they were brought into the penal colony for a bribe.
By lunchtime, the criminals had released several hostages. Three of the victims were sent to intensive care. Two of them had — Yuri Mavrin And Roman Ponomarev — cut wounds were recorded (on Mavrin’s face and head). The head of the colony, Andrei Devyatov, was also handed over. As it turned out, he was beaten with a hammer and a bottle on the head, he has multiple wounds. He was also hospitalized.
Devyatov has been heading IK-19 since 2014. He moved to this position from the position of deputy head of the Federal State Institution “Medical Correctional Institution No. 15”. The day before the attack, Devyatov held an oath-taking ceremony for young employees at the IK – it was timed to coincide with the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) Flag Day. Veterans of the city’s penal system, as well as parents of young employees, were invited to the event.
In addition to the FSIN employees, one of the prisoners from IK-19 was hospitalized unconscious with a knife wound. Preliminary, he could have been a participant in the riot; he is handcuffed. According to another version, he himself could have become a victim of radicals on “religious grounds.”
Literally the day before the bloody events in IK-19, a ceremony of taking the oath of young employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service took place.
What is known about the alleged invaders
Among the attackers were three drug dealers. A 28-year-old Ramzidin Tosheva native of Uzbekistan. Sentenced in October 2023 to eight years. In June 2022, a native of Tajikistan, 23, was sentenced. Rustamchona Navruzi. He was sentenced to seven years. Another poison dealer is a 28-year-old native of Tajikistan. Nazirchon Toshov.
Sentenced to 8.5 years in April 2023. Another one is a 29-year-old native of Uzbekistan Temur Khusinov has been in prison since 2019 for intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.
Suspected terrorists who attacked FSIN employees
What do the terrorists demand?
According to the latest information, the radicals are blocked in the building where the attack took place, they are unable to move around the penal colony, and negotiations with them are being conducted by FSIN officers, who managed to block the terrorists. The criminals claim that they were able to assemble an IED in the colony and are threatening to blow it up.
It is known that they demand two million dollars and a helicopter. Moreover, the copter must land directly on the territory of the colony. The money must be on board. After its takeoff, an air corridor in the south-east direction must be provided so that they can escape from Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). In case of pursuit of the aircraft, the criminals threaten to kill the hostages.
To dissuade the attackers from further plans, a mullah from the nearest Volgograd mosque was brought to them. At the same time, special forces arrived at the scene of the emergency and are preparing for an assault. The road leading to the colony was blocked by traffic police inspectors.
Head of IK-19 Devyatov Andrey Georgievich
What is IK-19
Correctional Colony No. 19 was founded in the mid-60s and is located on the outskirts of the city of Surovikino. It takes about two hours to get here from Volgograd. The regime is strict. The facility has a capacity of 1,229 people. The colony has a sewing workshop and production facilities for processing wood, lumber, making furniture, joinery, meat, bakery products, metal products, paving slabs, adobe and concrete blocks. There is an Orthodox church and a mosque on the territory of the colony.
Prisoners take hostages during disciplinary committee meeting
As SHOT was told by the regional POC, no complaints were received about it, and the last inspection took place in May. The colony employees regularly carried out preventive measures against the cells found inside.
However, in the spring of this year, the former deputy head of the captured IK-19 was sentenced to seven years for accepting a bribe. Grigory Belenkov. According to investigators, in 2019 he received 320 thousand rubles from four convicted persons, and in return promised to resolve issues with their incentives and conceal the facts of their violations.
Another deputy head of IK-19 Nikolai BorisevichA was arrested in 2021 — also for a bribe. For several months, he took money from his subordinate, who asked him to turn a blind eye to the fact that he was not at work. In total, Borisevich earned 190 thousand rubles this way.
What are prison jamaats?
Recently, so-called green colonies have appeared in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), where the authorities are controlled by prisoners convicted of religious extremism. They unite in prison jamaats and ignore thieves’ customs and concepts, do not cooperate with the administration, and live by their own interests.
— The problem is related to the fact that there are many people practicing radical Islam in the colonies of the Astrakhan, Rostov and Volgograd regions. They unite and recruit new supporters among the prisoners, — a source in law enforcement agencies told Life.ru.
Despite the fact that the Federal Penitentiary Service officially denies the existence of so-called prison jamaats, this problem exists.
Radical Islamism began to penetrate Russian prisons and pretrial detention centers after the Second Chechen Campaign in 1999–2001. At that time, they tried to take detained militants and Wahhabis away from the North Caucasus — to prisons deep in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). They were the first to bring this ideology behind bars, but at first it was harmless for others: such prisoners united among themselves on the principle of religious solidarity to support each other in the conditions of prison society.
After Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) began to fight extremist organizations and send their leaders to prison colonies, a new situation arose. Radicals began to recruit supporters among prisoners.
— Such people directly say that they are not afraid of prison, because they can conduct dagwat — recruitment — there, — a source told Life.ru.
Thus, criminals began to appear, ready, among other things, for jihad.
In 2007, the terrorist radical organization “Imarat Kavkaz”, which was subsequently banned in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), emerged, and smartphones became widespread among prisoners, allowing them to access the Internet, which played into the hands of Islamic radicals. They even swore allegiance to the leaders of the “Imarat Kavkaz” via video link. After their release, they were ready to commit terrorist attacks.
Life.ru sources said that radicals convert even outcasts among prisoners to religion. They willingly accept the new faith because it is the only chance to change their status and climb the social ladder.
* The organization is recognized as terrorist, its activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism).