Prisoners in Rostov detention centre neutralised after taking hostage staff members

Prisoners in the pre-trial detention centre-1 in Russia’s Rostov region, have taken two employees hostage, according to the regional department of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (GUFSIN).

"The head of the GUFSIN of Russia in the Rostov region, as well as representatives of cooperating law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office are on the scene. Negotiations on the release of hostages are underway. The institution is functioning in normal mode, the situation is controlled", TASS reports, citing a statment by GUFSIN.

Detention centre № 1 is located in the centre of Rostov-on-Don. Now the street is blocked, Shot reports.

Telegram channel Baza writes that, according to some reports, prisoners may have taken away weapons from the staff of the detention centre. The area around the building of the detention centre is cordoned off. According to the channel, six defendants broke the window grate in the cell and broke into the duty station, taking the head of the operational department and the junior inspector of the duty service of the detention centre hostage.

The channel reports that among the invaders there are several people already convicted on "terrorist" articles.

RBC requested a comment from the press services of the regional departments of the Interior Ministry and Rosgvardia, as well as the Rostov prosecutor's office.

A group of employees of the central office of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia has left for the region to conduct an inspection, the agency said.

Ambulances have arrived at pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, where a group of prisoners took hostages earlier on June 16.

At least five ambulances arrived at the building of the pre-trial detention centre.

Later, it was reported that prisoners who took hostage employees of the Rostov-on-Don remand prison had been liquidated. As the FSIN press service told TASS, the hostages have been freed, they were not injured.

"In the course of a special operation to free hostages in SIZO-1 of the State Penitentiary Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Rostov region, the criminals have been liquidated, the hostage-taking employees have been released and not hurt," the statement said.